The Surface's Shadow
by NinjaFalcon90
Summary: Ike and his followers manage to lead Link out of the underground world. They are intrigued by Link's culture and decide to stay on the mysterious Surface for a few days. Although they had never been to the Surface before, due to their dizzy spells and erratic nightmares, Ike and Marth sense that they have more connection to the Surface. Rated T just to be safe. Sequel to Hollow
1. Chapter 1: Beginning

Ike had never heard of the sky. Ever since the moment when he was born, he had been living in an underground city with his best friend Marth. The two bluenettes worked for Bowser's power company. Bowser treated his workers like lifeless items. If they could, Ike and Marth would've quit their current job and look for a better job. Sadly, working in the power company was the only job they could have.

On one fateful day, Ike and Marth discovered Link, a male with pointy ears used as an infinite energy source by Bowser. The poor blond was nearly mentally broken by the company's heartless action. Aided with Samus and their newly-found friends Roy, Fox, and Falco, Ike and Marth planned to flee their home and bring him back to his homeland, a mysterious land that towers above all of the underground cities. They despised Bowser, his selfish and greedy actions, and loyal minions.

After many tiring days of traveling through treacherous tunnels inhabited by the unknown dangers and temporary defeat Bowser's men, Ike and his companions finally made it to Link's world. When he walked out of the dark tunnel onto its land with Marth, Ike was bewildered at his new surroundings. The bright sunlight lightened up the place, making it seem cheerful and lively. The wind gently blew in his face, relieving him of his exhaustion.

"This is a nice place isn't it, Marth?" Ike asked his best friend, looking up at the endless sky.

"Yeah!" Marth answered with a soft smile as he watched the puffy clouds roll through the sky. "I feel much happier for some reason!"

Ike and Marth heard Roy laugh out loud and quickly looked down. Their smiles widened as they watched Fox and Falco chase the beaming Link and Roy in a small game of tag. Color returned to Link's deathly pale face as he inhaled fresh, clean air. His blond hair shimmered and his azure eyes twinkled with happiness as he hastily ran around with Falco hot on his trail.

Samus went by Ike's and Marth's side. "It's nice to see Link free to do what he wants." She said with a calm smile.

"Yes." Ike answered. "He really missed his homeland."

Suddenly, Ike's throat began to tickle crazily. He began to cough up filthy black smoke. In fright, he quickly backed away and cringed. He must have coughed up dirty air from the cities! How was he still alive? No wonder why Link had difficulty breathing!

"Eww!" Marth exclaimed.

"S-Sorry." Ike apologized as he swallowed some spit.

"It's alright." Marth replied. "The black smoke just scared me."

"Yeah…" Ike responded. "Now that I just saw that, how were we able to breathe and live in the city?"

"It probably has something to do with evolution and adaptation." Samus spoke.

"Maybe." Ike said. "That explains why Link couldn't breathe." After being tagged by Falco, Link scuttled back to Ike. He had a smile on his face, yet his worried eyes were not smiling with his grin. "What's wrong, Link?" Link's lips moved, however Ike could only hear a soft mumble. "Did you lose your voice again?"

"N-No." Link quietly answered. While held captive by the power company, Bowser ordered his men to surgically remove Link's vocal cords so he could not protest. "I would like to thank you and your friends for returning me home."

"Is your home around this area?" Marth asked.

Link uneasily glanced around his sunny surroundings. "I don't recognize this area." he softly whispered. A startled chill shot up his spine as he tried to stay calm. "H-Hold on!" he said as he rushed towards the forest.

Ike and the others hurried after Link. "Link! Where are you going?!" Ike asked, a bit startled. "Link?"

Link ignored Ike for a second. Upon reaching the edge of the forest, he climbed up the tallest tree with all of his renewed strength. Once when he reached the top, he nervously glanced around his surroundings. His azure eyes widened in frightening realization. The only things he saw were tuffs of greaves perking from the ground and the stretching sky.

"I don't know where I am." Link softly whispered to himself, the wind blowing against his blond hair.

He carefully climbed down the tree and reunited with his friends. All of them had a worried look on their faces. Why did Link decided to run off suddenly? Did he know how to get back to his home?

"Everyone, I'm sorry." Link uneasily apologized, looking down at the grass with a sad look. "I... I don't know how to get back home. I... I don't recognize this area."

"It's alright, Link!" Samus replied, nodding her head. "We'll guide you back to your home!"

"But... None of you have been here!" Link replied. He began to pace around. "Besides, all of you must be very tired and really want to go back home... I think I can find my way back by myself!"

"Link, you can't!" Fox warned sternly. He pointed up to the sky. The blazing sun was slowly sinking below the trees, turning the sky into a fruity, orange color. "Night is slowly setting in. In the nighttime, dangerous Pokemon will come out!"

"I can defend himself!" Link pointed to his sword, which had an indigo hilt and a flaming blade.

"Then what if you get injured?" Falco asked. "Who would help you?"

"We want to make sure that you'll reunite safely with your friends and family." Ike said bluntly.

Link looked down in guilt. His friends were right... But he did not want to burden them. "All of you are right." he admitted. "But, I don't want to be a burden! Also, I don't want any of you to get hurt too!"

"Hey, that's what friends are for!" Marth replied with a smile.

"We'll be careful." Samus added. "Also, if anything happens, Roy can fix it, right?"

"Yes!" Roy answered cheerfully.

Link nodded in understanding. "Thank you, everyone. Shall we begin our journey?"

"Yes, let's get started!" Ike said.

With that sentence, Fox and Falco began to guide their friends into the forest. However, as soon as his foot stepped into the forest, Ike suddenly felt lightheaded. With a groan, he clutched his head, waiting for the headache to vanish. Marth quickly stopped and worriedly looked at his best friend.

"Hey Ike, what's wrong?" Marth asked, setting a gentle hand on Ike's shoulder.

"I suddenly got this headache..." Ike groaned, gnashing his teeth in pain. "Urk..."

Marth gave Ike a pat on the back. "Don't worry? You must be hungry and tired!"

As soon as Marth said his sentence, Ike's headache suddenly vanished. The hammer that smashed the insides of his head turned into a light pulse and then nothing.

"That's strange..." Ike said, blinking. "It disappeared..."

"That's good!" Marth smiled at his friend.

"Hey guys! What's keeping you up?" Samus called. "It's getting dark! We need to try to find our way out of the forest as soon as possible!"

"Alright! We're coming!" Ike and Marth hurried after their friends, ready to start their adventure.

Meanwhile, Bowser grouchy sat in his office. The entire office was dark, as he wanted to sulk in the darkness. The only source of light was the tiny lamplight that sat on his desk. After learning that Ike and his friends managed to flee with the precious energy source, he was less than happy. He was ENRAGED. Great, now his men had to chase after them. The problem was, Ike and his friends could be ANYWHERE in the upper world. It would take DAYS for his men to find them, if they could learn where they were. Bowser was annoyed by this fact, as he greatly loathed waiting.

With all of his heart, Bowser wished that there was a quicker way to find the pointed-earned boy. He wished that one of the boy's enemies would suddenly appear and offer to retrieve the boy, that is, if the boy had enemies.

Just as he thought of that, his wish was mysteriously granted.

"My, you seem upset." a voice in the darkness suddenly spoke.

Bowser jumped at the voice as he recognized it. "Is... Is that you?"

"Yes, it is me, Bowser." the voice answered. "I've learned what happened recently. Your beloved energy source was stolen, am I right?"

"Yes, by Ike and his friends." Bowser growled in annoyance. "My men are planning to the surface to look for them now but... They currently don't know where had Ike and his partners had run off to."

"I do. Hadn't you forgotten? I come from the surface itself. I know where everything and everyone is. Including where _the boy _lives."

"Really?"

"Yes, I do. Do you not remember? I was the one who informed you and your men about the boy's _secret powers _and his home."

"Oh yeah!"

"I have a great plan. I will go to the surface and try to find the boy's current location while you arrange your men. Once when I return with information, your men shall set off to their journey to recapture the boy. Is that a well plan?"

"That's an excellent plan! I think it'll work! Should we begin now?"

"Yes, we shall." With that sentence, the voice vanished into bright, sparkling rays of diamonds.

* * *

**Author's Notes: IT'S FINALLY HERE!**

**Welp, here's the sequel everyone(?) has been waiting for! When Hollow was finished about a year ago, everyone was like "Please! We want the sequel!" Just a heads up, this story might be a bit short. It might range around 10-15 chapters. **

**Also, I opened a poll asking which fanfic should I start next. I'm going to allow voters to vote for 3 choices. After a while , I'll delete the choices with the least amount of votes and maybe reopen the poll with the remaining choices. (Man, that was worded strangely!) I kinda want this to fair for everyone. (I know, it does sound annoying.) **

**I don't really know what questions to ask for now so, I'll just wait and see what you guys have to say about the first chapter! **

**PS: I DO NOT own Super Smash Bros. **


	2. Chapter 2: Sparkling Lights

The forest was one of the most mysterious places Ike had ever been to. Towering redwood and pine trees, which seemed to be hundreds of feet high, reached towards the sky, which gradually darkened. Sparkling specks of white began to appear in the sky. The wind was a cool breeze dashing thought he rustling leaves.

"I hate to break it to you guys, but we're probably not going to make it out of this forest sooner or later." Fox said, as tones of murky dark blue shadows began to bathe the area.

"It's best to rest now." Falco added. "We've been traveling for a long time."

"What about the Pokemon?" Roy asked. "They might attack us!"

"I think I'll be fine." Fox replied. "I mean, there's more than one of us."

The travelers decided to rest in a small forest clearing. It was a patch of green grass in the middle of pointy trees. While Ike, Marth, and Samus set their equipment down onto the ground, Fox and Falco made a small fire. Roy stayed close to his older friends, as he was a bit cautious around his new, unfamiliar surroundings. Link paced around, trying to recognize the location, only to fail.

"Are you sure is safe here?" Roy carefully asked, sitting down next to Fox and Falco.

"Yeah, I'm sure!" Fox replied with a smile, opening a can of food. "If anything happens, we'll take care of it!"

Roy nodded in understanding however, he still felt uneasy.

Ike, Marth, and Samus sat next to each other around the fire.

"Hey, where's Link?" Marth asked, looking around for the Hylian.

Samus pointed at a tree. "He's there. Hey Link, come over here!.

Link, who was standing on top of a large tree branch, sighed sadly and quietly to himself. He carefully scaled down the tree and sat down with his friends.

As the sun slowly dropped below the towering trees and turned the sky completely dark, the traveling friends cooked their dinner— canned, preserved food and began to chat.

"Fox, how long will it take us to get Link back to his home?" Ike asked between chews.

"Not really long, maybe a few hours." Fox answered. "Unless if we make a wrong turn."

"I have a question." Marth spoke up. "How is Link home? Where is it?"

Falco awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, that remains a mystery to us. We hadn't actually been there before."

"I can tell you if you want to know." Link said. "I live in a castle of a kingdom called Hyrule Castle Town. It is next to a wide lake called Lake Hylia. To be honest, I don't want to give away the details!" Link blushed shyly.

"That sounds nice." Samus commented.

"Yes..." Link replied, before his unhappy voice suddenly fell.

"What's wrong, Link?" Ike asked worriedly. "Are you feeling sick?"

Before Link could answer, he was cut off by Roy's delighted, surprised cry.

"Whoa!" Roy shouted, quickly getting up.

"What is it, Roy?" Falco asked.

"Look at these glowing lights!" Roy pointed to a ghostly yet warm glow of dotted, gold lights slowly floating into the air, towards the dusk sky.

"Oh, these are Illumises and Volbeats." Link said, watching the bug Pokemon harmoniously drift into the air. "They are special bug Pokemon who likes to come out during dusk and find their mates." Link held out a gentle hand, allowing some of the brave Illimises and Volbeats land and sit on it. The Hylian showed it to his friends. "The climate must be well tonight, as many of them are coming out."

"So cool!" Roy gasped, looking at the bug Pokemon.

An abrupt, low hoot startled Ike and his friends, except for Link who stayed calm. He knew the source of the sound. In fright, the Illimses and Volbeats on Link's hand quickly flew away, back to their friends and family.

"What was that?" Ike asked, cautiously looking around his surroundings. Ike's question was followed by a series of softer coos.

"Don't worry, it's just a nest of Noctowls and Hoot Hoots." Link coolly answered. "He pointed to a nest sitting in the dark shadows of the tree branches. Two little Hoot Hoots were sitting in their nest, watching the strangers. A large Noctowl perched next to the nest, diligently looking for predators.

"Whoa, they are big!" Marth whispered.

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you, unless if you hurt them." Link replied.

In awe and bewilderment, Ike could only look around his amazing, tranquil surroundings. The Illimses and Volbeats were sparkling, gold specks gliding in the air. The Noctowl calmly cooed to its offspring. In the corner of his eyes, he saw a few Oddish and Gloom scurry out of the bushes. A tiny Spinarak carefully weaved its web. A small herd of Budew was hurrying through the tall grass back to their home, so they could rest for the night. Like a gentle voice lulling the night to sleep, a wind calmly rustled through the trees.

Ike had never seen anything like this before in the underground world. The scenery was a light in darkness. This was what he, his friends, and the residents of the underground world were missing all along! Because they were isolated in their tiny world, they never knew that such a beautiful sight existed!

Watching his peaceful, impressive surroundings, Ike wished he could enjoy the scenery forever. However, a heavy, feeling slowly draped over him. The feeling was known as sleepiness. Ike yawned quietly as the drape covered his friends, causing them to feel drowsy.

After struggling to stay awake, the travelers eventually fell asleep on the soft, cool grass next to each other. The forest's tranquility lulled them to sleep.

Unfortunately, tranquility could sometimes not exist in the surreal, mysterious, dream world.

* * *

_Running. That was what Marth was panicky doing. He was being chased by an unknown force through an ominous, dark realm. _

_ "What is chasing me?" Marth asked himself, looking behind and trying to identify his pursuers. He could not see anything. All he saw was a pitch black shadow with an ominous aura surrounding it, telling Marth this was something to fear._

_ Strangely, Marth's legs, which were pushing themselves to dash faster, away from the force, suddenly grew heavy, like if he was stepping through cement. Rock-hard bricks were chained around his ankles, slowing him down much to his anguish._

_ "No, I need to hurry!" Marth exclaimed, struggling to stride faster._

_ Marth's struggles were futile. Instead of going faster, he came to a complete halt, leaving him helpless and open to the force, which finally caught its prey._

_ "No, please no!" Marth panicky said, struggling to lift his stone-hard feet._

_ It was too late. The shadow wrapped around Marth and squeezed him, causing him to scream in pain. His lungs felt like they were on fire. Air was shoved out of his body, making Marth gasp desperately for air. His limps suddenly felt as heavy as a large chunk of iron._

_ "No... What is this?" Marth asked himself, unable to move. "What is this sensation?"_

* * *

With a small rustle, reality forced Marth out of the dream world. Groggily, Marth looked around his shady surroundings for the source of the noise. The wonderful, dazzling surrounding that lulled his friends to sleep mysteriously vanished. It was a lamp that turned off. The silvery moon loomed in the sky, its thin rays of light slightly illuminating the dark forest while the stars twitched and sparkled.

Another sudden rustle caught Marth's attention. He quickly turned around and saw a bush shaking wildly. His anxiety rose along with his adrenaline. What was that? Marth slowly stood up, took his sword, and cautiously crept towards the bush, his hands shaking wildly.

Roy, who also heard the rustling sound, quickly awoke. "M...Marth?" he yawned, getting up. "What is that?"

"I don't know." Marth could only reply. "I'm going to find out now. Stay back!"

Roy nodded and watched the azure-hair male sneak closer to the bushes. As soon as when Marth was one step away from the bush, it strangely stopped. It became as silent as the night itself.

Marth stared at the bush before turning around and facing Roy. "Well, there's nothing there." he said.

With a sudden, low hiss, a shadow figure with glowing red eyes leaped out of the forest and lunged at Marth. Roy screamed, "Marth! Look out!"

Luckily, Marth's reflexes were quick. He swiftly turned around and stabbed the figure into the stomach with his sharp sword, which made it vanish into murky, dark purple dust.

Ike and the others quickly awoke. "What happened?!" Ike nervously asked, taking his sword. "Did something happen?"

Marth's answer was cut off by a series of livid growls and hissed.

"We're surrounded!" Fox said quickly, loading his gun.

"By what?" Samus asked. "Pokemon?"

"No, not by Pokemon!" Falco answered. "By...!"

Before Falco could answer, zombie-like monsters with glowing red eyes, dislocated jaws, and an ominous, violet aura circling them lunged out of the woods into the clearing and surrounded the travelers. They were either armed with gleaming, iron weapons or razor-sharp claws.

"By Risen." Falco finally answered.

"What are the things?" Roy asked, staying close to his friends.

"We don't know." Fox answered, keeping his eyes on the monsters. "All we know is, they are some kind of undead warriors. They rarely roam appear in the forest if I remember correctly. But, there seems to be lots of them now! Something must have attracted them here!"

One of the Risen lunged at Ike, who blocked the attack with his sword, knocked it down onto the ground, and ended its life with the plunge of the gold blade. At the moment of that action, the rest of Risen charged at the travelers.

The group began to fight for their lives. As Ike dodged the Risen's attacks and countered the violent actions, Marth warily watched over his and his friends' backs. Fox and Falco ran around in circles, confusing the Risen and waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Samus blasted energy balls at the Risen. She simply kicked those who got too close to her.

_Yet, there was one member who could not defend himself._

A panicked, frightened scream caught Ike's attention. In terror and fear that someone got brutally injured, Ike quickly slashed a Risen with his sword and turned to the source of the voice.

"Roy!" Ike exclaimed.

Roy was cornered by two Risen and a large boulder. His navy blue eyes wide with fear, he cowered against the boulder, wishing that this nightmare would end. The Risen growled hungrily at the vulnerable, defenseless boy, preparing to attack.

"H-Help!" Roy cried out, shutting his eyes close as the Risen slowly went closer to him.

"I'm coming, Roy!" Ike exclaimed as he hurriedly towards the helpless, younger male, only to get blocked by two other Risen. "No, not now!" he hissed under his breath as he quickly blocked their attacks.

Roy could only helplessly watch the two frightening Risen point their gleaming, jagged ax and sword at him, about to plunge the lethal weapon into his flesh.

"Please, no!" Roy exclaimed, covering his eyes as the Risen growled at him. "No!"

"Roy!" Ike screamed as he stabbed a Risen. "Hold on!"

Just as when Roy expected the Risen to plunge their deathly weapon into him and tear the life out of him, there was a sudden _swoosh_, the violent sound of flapping wings, and a clang of an opposing sword blocking the attack. He shakily uncovered his eyes and saw an angel bravely defending him from the Risen.

The angel had chestnut brown hair and a small build. He wore a pure, white tunic, a black shirt and leggings, tall brown boots, and a gold wreath on her head. His indigo eyes were wide with determination as he gnashed his teeth and held the Risen's attack with his gold and purple bow.

"G...Grgh!" the angel said to himself through his gritted teeth. "Can't... Hold... Any longer!"

Roy hastily looked down and saw a long tree branch at his feet. Not wasting a second, he quickly picked it up and swung it at one of the Risen's legs. It was a plunging meteor that impacted its leg, causing it to yelp in pain. This gave an angel an opportunity to throw the other Risen off its feet to the ground violently.

"Go, go!" the angel shouted to Roy, motioning to him to follow him.

Noticing that the two Risen were slowly getting up, Roy hurriedly followed the angel. The two hastily climbed up a tall tree like a Chimchar and cautiously watched the Risen.

"Don't worry, they can't reach us." the angel reassured to Roy, who was shaken from the near-death experience.

Roy sighed in relief and nodded in response.

Ike turned around and spotted Roy with the angel in the tree.

_"Who is that?" _Ike asked himself, not noticing a Risen sneaking up to him from behind.

"Ike!" Marth exclaimed. "Look out!"

As Ike immediately turned around, a midnight-blue haired man garbed in a dark blue coat, white cape, and single silver shoulder plate hurriedly stabbed the Risen in the stomach with a war cry. Ike slightly jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the unexpected army. Who was he?

"Let's go now!" a voice yelled. Link's ears twitched at the familiar voice. Could it be him?

A golden-haired, blue-eyed Hylian wearing a green tunic lunged out of the shadows and swung his sword at some of the Risen. Following him was a midnight-blue haired woman wearing a dark blue tunic, a blond-haired man with light blue eyes garbed in a yellow tunic, and a dark brown haired knight garbed in light blue armor.

"Defend them!" the Hylian ordered quickly. "Make sure that there are no more Risen waiting in the bushes!"

"Got it!" the woman quickly said, before turning to attack a Risen.

With the help of the allying strangers, Ike and his friends managed to defeat the remaining Risen. Panting for air, Ike cautiously looked around for any more Risen. His hands were slightly shaking from nervousness. Sweat soaked into his headband.

"Is everyone ok?" Ike finally asked.

"Yeah, I think." Roy answered as he and the angel got down from the tree.

Ike turned to the Hylian. "Who... Are you?" he awkwardly asked.

Before the Hylian answered, Link quickly hurried towards him and cried out, "Father!"

"Link, is that you?!" the Hylian asked in shock, recognizing the voice.

It took the father a few moments to recognize his son. As soon as he identified the young Hylian as his son, he wrapped his arms around Link and gave him a warm hug.

"You're alright!" he said, stroking Link's dirty-blond hair.

"F-Father!" Link began to sob hysterically. He buried his face into his father's shoulder. "Father..." he cried into his shoulder.

"Sh, it's ok." Link's father reassured calmly. "Shhh, Daddy's here now."

"I missed you..." Link softly said, snuggling against his father's body.

Ike was a bit bewildered. That Hylian was Link's father? To be honest, the two hardly bared similarities with each other. While Link had dirty blond hair parted on the left, azure eyes, and short pointy ears, his father had pure gold hair parted in the center, deep, cobalt blue eyes, and long pointy ears. The only things Link seemed to inherit physically from his father were his eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes.

"Erm, who are you guys?" Ike asked again.

Link's father immediately released Link from his embrace. "Not now." he answered. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, we need to get out of here. It's dangerous here in the right. Follow us."

Ike nodded and he and his friends followed the strangers through the forest.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, that trip escalated quickly...**

**Here's chapter 2! To be honest, it was a bit hard to write this chapter, since I had no clue what should happen. So, sorry if it's a bit disappointing and suspenseful. In the next chapter, we will learn more about Link's friends and family, Hyrule Castle Town, and ****_one of his enemies. _**

**If you hadn't done so, please check out my poll. Once when chapter 3 is up, I'm going to eliminate two choices that have the least choices, just letting you guys know. **

**Story Questions:**

**What do you think was chasing Marth in his dream?**

**What would you like to see in future chapters?**

**What characters would you like to see in future chapters? **


	3. Chapter 3: Gold Light

After an hour of marching through the forest with the strangers, Ike and his friends ended up in a wide grassland. There, they started a small fire and planned to rest for the night. The blue-haired man and the armored knight vigilantly patrolled the area. The blue-haired woman and the blond man fell asleep next to each other in front of the fireplace. The angel was still awake; he lied down on his back on the cool grass and watched the stars twinkle in the sky. Next to him was Roy, who curiously gazed at the tiny white specks in the sky.

"Hey Pit, what are these things called?" Roy asked the angel, pointing to the specks.

"They are called stars." Pit answered.

At the same time, Samus was tending to Fox's and Falco's injuries, which included a deep cut in the arm, wing, and legs. Finally knowing that he could sleep in peace, Marth took his well-deserved Meowth-nap. Ike was talking to Link's father, who was watching Link freely pace around the site.

"So, you're Ike, am I correct?" Link's father asked.

"Yeah!" Ike answered.

"I must thank you and your friends for bringing Link back." Link's father continued. "I was worried about him."

"You're welcome... Er..."

"My name is also Link. However, you may call me Time. Ever since Link was born, my fellow men had been calling me an Old-Timer!"

"You're welcome, Time!" Ike finally managed to answer.

"I have a question, what exactly happened to Link?" Time asked, a bit stern. "Did his captors do anything to him?"

"Well, he was used as an energy source in a power company." Ike explained. "If you don't know, a power company generates power for the city from where I come from. As a result, Link was greatly weakened and a traumatized. Due to the pollution in the air, he nearly died."

Time flinched at the sentence and looked at Link, who lied down next to Roy and Pit and began to stargaze with the two younger males.

"Luckily, we managed to safe him and get 'em out of there in time." Ike finished.

Time quivered a bit as horrifying pictures raced through his thoughts. "I just can't believe something like this happened to one of my sons..." he said shakily, clutching his fists. Time's face became a deathly pale.

"Hey, are you ok?" Ike asked, setting a hand on Time"s shoulder.

Link overheard the conversation and quickly got up. Seeing Ike trying to support his father, the younger Hylian hurried over and worriedly asked, "Father, are you ok?"

Time quickly recovered from his dizzy spell. "I'm ok, thank you Link."

Link smiled dearly and sat next to his father.

"Well, I know that you're Link's father, Time." Ike spoke up. "But, can you tell me who are these other people?"

"Ah, I should introduce you to members of the Hyrule Castle Guards." Time replied. He pointed to the midnight-haired man and knight. "These two men are Chrom and Frederick, two of the three captains of the royal guards, me being the third. Chrom is trustworthy and a bit easygoing. He breaks the most objects during training. Frederick is strict however, he has a soft side."

Time pointed to the two teens sleeping next to each other near the fireplace. "These two cousins are Lucina and Owain. Lucina is the daughter of Chrom and Owain is the son of Frederick. Although the two are as different as black and white, they get along quite fine."

"How are they different?" Ike asked.

"Lucina tends to be more serious while Owain is a bit rowdy." Time answered, turning to Pit. "This is Pit. He is an angel from Skyworld, a nearby angel-like kingdom near Hyrule. He is childish and a bit shy. Ever since he and Link met when they were little, the two have been best friends."

"I see..." Ike replied. "Can I talk about my friends too?"

"Sure." Time answered with a smile.

Ike began to describe his friends to Time. He told every single detail about them, from the time he met Marth, to Fox's favorite color. As he listened, Time gently cradled Link in his arms, who slowly drifted to sleep. His energy level corresponding to Link's Ike felt sleepiness twirl in his head and make his eyelids heavy.

"Roy knows how to treat people with sicknesses and injuries..." Ike yawned, trying to stay awake. "He... Wants to be a doctor like his father Eliwood..."

Time smiled as he gave Ike a friendly pat on the back. "I think that's enough for today." he said. "You need some rest."

Ike wanted to protest and say no, however his fatigue, a heavy weight attracted to his body, caused him to hesitantly give in. With a drowsy nod, he lied down on the ground and drifted to sleep.

Wanting to patrol the area for any signs of danger before going to sleep, Time gently set Link onto the ground, trying not to wake him up, and stood up. He went behind the two sleeping teens and began to patrol the shady, dark surroundings. Unbeknownst to him, Link had briefly awoken. Shivering due to the source of warmth vanishing into the air, he huddled closer to Ike, who only stirred before setting a soft hand on Link's blond hair. Before Link's subconsciousness enveloped his consciousness, he thought he saw a tiny, weak beam of gold light emitting from the back of Ike's left hand.

* * *

The next day in the morning, the group traveled through the grassland. What seemed to be a never-ending land of green grass led to a kingdom surrounded by a small river, protected by powerful stone walls, and heavily guarded by Hylian soldiers in watchtowers.

"Halt!" one of the guards exclaimed, causing some of the soldiers to cautiously rise their weapons. "Who goes there?!"

"It is your captains, Link, Chrom, and Frederick!" Time shouted back. "We have returned from our mission!"

"Who are these guys then?" the guard suspiciously asked, pointing at Ike, Link, and their friends.

"This is Link and his newly-found friends!" Time began to explain. "They—"

The protective, watchful guard interrupted Time, his eyes full of shock. "Wait, did you say Link?!"

Link's face turned completely pink. He quickly looked away in embarrassment.

"Yes, it is." Time answered. "He has escaped from his captors and returned!"

"Oh my! So sorry!" the guard called back. "I didn't recognize him. I mean, I usually see Link dressed in a green tunic and hat and what not but, oh Hylia! Link's back!"

The guard turned to his fellow mates. "Everyone! Link has returned!" his statement was followed by bewildered gasps.

"Link is back?!" some of the other guards exclaimed. They quickly looked to see if they were not hearing things. "Hoorah! He is back!"

Some of the guards quickly raced down the tower, through the town, towards the castle; excited to inform the others about the news. Joy raced through their hearts. Finally, after many countless days of dreadfully worrying and helplessly hoping for Link's return, he was finally back!

"As I was saying," Time continued. "These strangers are Link's friend. They helped him escape from his captors and bring him back to us. Now, I trust that they will do no harm. Please let them in with us."

"As you say, captain!" the guard replied with a beaming smile.

The guard finally let the drawbridge down, allowing the group to enter the bustling town. It was a bit large to Ike. The two-story houses that lined up with each other were large, made of wood, and painted to match their environment. Fountains splashed crystal-clear water. Children were playing in the grassy fields as the adults were either working or relaxing with their friends.

As he walked down the town with his friends, Ike felt heads turning to look at him. Some of the Hylians were fascinated— or greatly shocked at the sight of the mysterious strangers. Who were they? They certainly were not Hylians, as their ears were not pointed. They also could not be angels, as they did not have wings. Were they aliens from another world? Some of the Hylians quickly looked away and began to whisper to each other, beginning a new trail of gossip.

Link noticed Ike's anxiety and nervousness. "Just ignore them." he said. "They hadn't seen you and your friends before, so they are a bit wary."

"I see..." Ike whispered back. "They are looking at me like if I'm an alien!"

"Don't worry, they'll get used to seeing you." Link replied. "The only humans they had ever seen were Chrom, his sister Lissa, Frederick, Lucina, and Owain. It took them a while for them to adapt to them."

Ike followed his friends to a large vivid garden in front of a looming castle. The garden had lush grass, tuffs of shrubs with tiny colorful flowers, plants with ripe berries, tall trees, and patches of flowers. Combee buzzed and darted around the flower, collecting its nectar. Starly, Pidgey, and Spearows perched in the trees and chirped nosily with them, creating a small melody. Lulled by the bird Pokemon's melody, a Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander slept underneath the tree's cool shades.

As soon as the group arrived at the entrance of the castle, the doors suddenly slammed open. A brunette Hylian occupied by some guards and a blond lady with blonde pigtails garbed in a yellow maid dress quickly entered the scene. Her eyes were a deep blue. She wore a purple and white dress with a colorful crest and gold armor plates. A matching crown with a blue jewel indicated that she was powerful and in high-status.

"Lissa, it true that Link has returned?" she asked in joy.

Lissa nodded her head. "Yeah!"

Noting the brunette, Link timidly stepped forward, grabbing the Hylian's attention. "Princess Zelda, it's... It's me." he shyly said with a small smile.

Trying to hold back her tears of joy, Zelda walked towards Link. "Link... She said, throwing her arms around the blond Hylian and giving him a hug. "You're back...! I missed you..."

"I missed you too." Link softly said back, hugging Zelda back.

After releasing each other from their warm embraces, Link began to introduce Zelda to his friends. Yet, not all of them were fully paying attention. Roy was chatting with Pit. Fox and Falco were whispering to each other. Samus was admiring the garden; she had never something anything like it before. Marth and Ike were the only ones listening.

"Princess Zelda, these are my friends Ike, Marth, Samus, Roy, Fox, and Falco." he said. "They saved me from my captors and guided me back home."

Zelda smiled at the welcomed guests. "Welcome to Hyrule." she said, setting her right hand on Link's left hand.

All of a sudden, a golden, bright triangle shone brightly on the back of _both _Link's and Zelda's left hand. In astonishment and shock, Ike's and Marth's eyes widened. Their different hues of blue orbs were filled with amazement. Hey... They saw that gold triangle on Link's hand before! What was it?

"Did you see that?" Marth whispered to Ike.

"A gold triangle on Link's and Princess Zelda's hand?" Ike whispered back. "Yeah!"

"I saw it before!" Marth replied.

"You only told me." Ike replied. "But still, that was surprising!"

Link's and Zelda's sensitive pointy ears caught the secretive conversation.

"Is there anything wrong?" Princess Zelda asked.

Ike slightly jumped. "Oh, nothing is wrong." he answered. "It's just that, when you and Link held hands, we saw a gold triangle shine on both of your hands! What is it?"

"Oh, it's the Triforce..." Zelda said, looking around the garden carefully.

"The Triforce?" Ike and Marth looked at each other in confusion. "What is that?"

"May we talk about this somewhere else?" Zelda asked. "We would like to discuss in a private area."

"Sure." Ike answered.

As Zelda entered the castle, Link motioned to Ike and Marth to follow him. Looking at each other awkwardly and shrugging their shoulders, Ike and Marth followed the two Hylians.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I've seen the light!  
**

**Finally, here's chapter 3. I know, the story's kinda boring now. But, the next chapters will be interesting! It will cover the Triforce, the strange dreams Ike and Marth are getting, and whatnot.**

**BTW, I reopened the poll, only that it has two choices removed. So please check it out!**

**Story Questions: **

**When Ike put his left hand on Link's head, why did a gold light emit from it?**

**Who would you like to see in the next chapters? **


	4. Chapter 4: The Triforce

Link and Zelda led Ike and Marth down the long castle hallways to a large library. Shelves containing hundreds of books towered over their heads. The narrow windows let light glimmer into the space. The rug had many colorful patterns inscribed on it. Dust particles slowly drifted unobtrusively in the air.

After stepping in, Zelda looked to see if anyone was following them and quietly shut the door.

"Are you going to tell us what is the Triforce now?" Ike asked.

"We would like to know." Marth added.

"Yes. The Triforce was a personal, magical treasure of the Hylians." Zelda began. "It was created hundreds of years ago to protect the kingdom from warring forces. Originally, it had three pieces, Power, Wisdom, and Courage. However, during the Great War, it was shattered into pieces."

"What happened?" Marth asked.

"Power-hungry fools managed to discover the Triforce's location, which was a secret, underground temple hidden underneath the castle. They fought over the Triforce, shattering it by accident. The Hylians managed to recover Courage and Wisdom, however Power was lost forever. Our ancestors could not find it."

Link wanted to say something at that point. However, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

_"I know where the Triforce of Power is!" he thought to himself, looking at Marth's left hand._

"Princess Zelda, you said that warring forces wanted the Triforce." Ike spoke up. "Who were they?"

Zelda hesitated before answering. "The forces were two rival kingdoms. According to historical texts, they were fighting over a patch of land."

_"Fighting... Over... Land." _Ike thought to himself, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"This eventually dragged all of the tribes into the war." Zelda continued, oblivious to Ike's nervousness. "The Hylians tried to stay neutral, as if they choose either side, they will get violently destroyed by either opposing force. The Angels, another tribe who decided to stay neutral, allied with the Hylians in case the war worsens. Together, with their strongest magic, they created the Triforce to protect both of their kingdoms. Eventually, the two earring kingdoms discover the Triforce and tried to take its power to use it against each other. Their plan failed, as the Hylians and Angels manage to chase them off."

"Did that end the war?" Marth asked.

"No, it didn't." Zelda answered. "Just as the war turned to the worse, an unexpected plaque wiped across the land, killing millions. This ended the war for good. As lives were taken, the two warring kingdoms, and the other tribes, fled to the mountains for their lives and loved ones . Yet, my ancestors the Hylians, and the Angels, stayed. We resisted the disease and eventually became immune to it."

_"Plaque... Death... Loved ones... Run... Away... Why did I suddenly sense something deathly yet familiar lurking in the air?" _As Ike thought of these horrifying things, he suddenly felt light-headed and fainted next to Marth.

"Ike!" Marth exclaimed in shock, hurrying to his friends' side.

"What happened?!" Link asked, rushing towards the bluenette's side. He felt his forehead. "It's a fever! Princess Zelda, get a healer!"

"No, get Roy!" Marth said. "No wait, get both of them!"

Zelda obeyed and quickly left the library. As she hurried down the hallway, she suddenly slowed down and looked out the window with a sad look.

"I'm sorry, Ike and Marth." the Hylian Princess said, before continuing her way.

* * *

Ike was awoken by a wet cloth wiping across his forehead. With a weak groan, he carefully opened his eyes and looked around his surroundings. He was in a small bedroom with a bed stand, drawer, table, and chair. He spotted his friends standing in front of the doorway, asking each other what happened.

"Ike's awake!" Ike heard Roy exclaim.

Ike watched his friends go to his bedside, a bit relieved and worried.

"You're alright, Ike!" Marth smiled, before it fell and turned into a worried look. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure..." Ike answered, feeling a bit weak. "When I was listening to the story of the Triforce, I guess I couldn't handle the mention of plaques and death and... I guess I fainted."

"Well, the truth can kinda hurt sometimes." Samus spoke up with a smile.

"Yeah, back in our world, there was hardly such thing as a plaque and whatnot." Fox said.

"Well, there were train and work accidents, but they hardly occur." Falco added.

"I suggest you to stay in bed for the rest of the day." Roy spoke up, his voice having a slight tone of sternness. "Just because you feel better doesn't mean you are better."

"Alright." Ike replied.

Roy began to exit the room. "C'mon everyone. Let's give Ike some room."

One by one, everyone left the room; except for Link and Marth, as they wanted to give Ike some company.

"Link, I have a question." Ike said, sitting up in his bed. "Why do you and Zelda have the Triforce?"

"Oh!" Link exclaimed. "Well, after the Triforce was broken into pieces, our ancestors received it. They felt it was saver to leave the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage in their processions. As a result, the Triforce was passed down to their descendants. Zelda has Wisdom, while I have Courage."

"That's cool!" Marth said. "Is that why you can use magic?"

"Yes." Link answered. "However, our magic is limited. If we overuse the Triforce's power, it will drain our physical strength."

"No wonder why were you weak after when we saved you from Bowser!" Ike spoke out loud.

Link nodded sadly in response. "Until the Triforce of Power is found, Zelda and I will protect the Triforce within our hearts."

The sound of a door slowly creaking open grabbed the three teen's attention. Turning to the source of the sound, they saw a little Hylian around the age of twelve. He had large, dark blue eyes; fluffy, bright, yellow hair; and tiny pointed ears. He was garbed in a bright, green tunic over a long-sleeved shirt, leggings, small leather boots, and a matching floppy cap.

"Link!" he exclaimed, scampering towards the older Hylian like a mouse.

With a wide smile, Link gently picked up the smaller Hylian and gave him a huge hug. "Toon!"

"I knew that you'll be back!" Toon said, snuggling against Link. "I knew it!"

Marth awkwardly spoke up as Ike watched. "You're Toon? Are you Link's...?"

"Yeah!" Toon replied quickly with a bright smile. "I'm Link's little brother!"

As he stroked Toon's fluffy hair, Link said, "He inherited most of my father's looks. That why we don't look related."

"My, what do we have here?" an unfamiliar, unsettling voice asked.

As the four looked up at the voice, they spotted a strange man dressed in an odd outfit that resembled a male dancer's. His skin was an icky gray, his eyes were pitch-black, and his straight, white hair was parted to the left. At the sight of the man, Link growled quietly, protectively hugged Toon tightly, and shot a glare at him. Marth and Ike trembled, as they felt a wave of disgust and uneasiness wash over them.

"Ghirahim, what are you doing here?" Link spat out.

"Nothing at all." Ghirahim answered cooly, shooting a chill down Ike's and Marth's spine. "I heard that you returned. I wanted to see if it was true." Ghirahim took notice of Ike and Marth. "Oh, who are you two? Are you Link's friends, I presume?"

"Yes, they are." Link bluntly answered. "Their names are Ike and Marth if you're curious."

"Ike? Marth?" Ghirahim asked out loud in curiosity. "Those names sound familiar... **Is the thread of fate binding them together?**"

His statement was followed by Link's annoyed growl. Getting the idea, Ghirahim turned to leave. "Fine, I am leaving."

After when Ghirahim left, Link sighed in relief. With a worried, scared look, Toon cuddled closer to his older brother. Ike and Marth were shaken by Ghirahim's sudden appearance.

"Who's Ghirahim?" Ike asked.

"That man is a terrible, manipulative man." Link answered, his voice holding a tone of anger. "He is Princess Zelda's advisor. Although some believe he is great at his job, my family and I disagree. Lately, he hadn't been seen at the castle. This makes me suspicious. What is he doing?"

"I don't like." Marth softly said.

"Me neither." Ike agreed. "He creeps me out. Especially when he said something about Marth and me being bounded together by fate."

"Do you know what he meant?" Marth asked.

Link jumped before answering. "Well..." he began nervously, trying to think up of an answer. "I think he meant that he sees how close you two are!"

"Well, if you say so." Ike replied.

Unbeknownst to the teens, Ghirahim was listening to their conversation. With a sly smile, he disappeared into a ray of diamonds before anyone caught him eavesdropping.

* * *

That night, Marth was in the library, curiously browsing through books. Although their words and texts were scribbles and nonsense to the bluenette, Marth tried to understand the topics by looking at its illustrations.

After hearing Zelda's story of the Triforce, Marth was intrigued by the history of Hyrule. He dearly wanted to learn more about the past, from the war, to the present. Sadly, he could not learn much due to being illiterate to Hylian words.

"Well, it looks like I need to ask Link or Zelda to translate these words." Marth said sadly, closing a book.

A sudden knock on the door caught Marth off guard. With a startled gasp, he jumped and quickly turned around. Who was it?! Was it a mischievous ghost of some sort? Link did mention that the castle was haunted by ghosts, but he could be joking. Swallowing nervously, Marth slowly approached the door, his fingers tingling and his stomach fluttering.

"W-W-Who's there?" Marth shakily asked, opening the door. He peered around the shadowy hallway. The glittering moon light shone through the large glass windows. Deformed shadows froze on the walls.

"H-Hello?" Marth asked out loud, his voice echoing down the hallway.

There was a sudden flash of light behind Marth. In jolt, Marth turned around and quickly covered his eyes, which were burning from the abrupt beam of light. He whimpered, hoping that he was not blinded from the sudden ray of light.

The light died down and there was a small thud followed by a chuckle. Wondering who it was, Marth hesitantly looked up before he was blinded by another gleam of light. He heard a small zap before the light vanished into the darkness.

Shaking, Marth looked around and saw no one. Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, he noticed a dusty, thick-covered book sitting on his seat. Marth raised a suspicious eyebrow. That book was not there a minute ago...

Was he seeing things? Marth slowly approached the book and picked it up. It was heavy, as it had hundreds of pages. He had not read it before... Should he?

Hesitantly, Marth calmly flipped to a random page, before taking notice of the shocking illustration that struck him like a punch in the face. With a small gasp, Marth could only gaze at the image like a deer caught in headlights. After a few moments, he shook out of his gaze, shut the book, and quickly exited the library.

"I need to show Ike this!" he said to himself, trembling uneasily. "What... What is this?! Who is this man?!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'm still alive, everyone! Don't worry! **

**Sorry for the late update. Not only I had writer's block, I also strained my wrists. So, I needed to take a break. (Idon'tthinkeveryonemindssincethisstoryhasn'tgottenmanyreveiws.)**

**This chapter pretty much build some background and suspense to future chapters, so hopefully it's not boring all of you guys out. The next chapter will focus on the main story line of this fanfic.**

***PPPPPPst!* Don't forget to check out my polls!**

**Story Questions:**

**Why did Ike faint while Zelda told him and Marth about the story of the Triforce?**

**What (or who) was the beam of light in the library?**

**Who do you think is the man Marth saw in the book? **


	5. Chapter 5: Identical Faces

Ike was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, when Marth abruptly slammed the door open. Jumping slightly, Ike let out a small, annoyed sigh as he looked at his best friend. Marth's skin was as pale as paper. A single candle light sitting on the nightstand gave his wide, cerulean eyes an eerie glow. Clutched in his jittery hands was a thick-covered book.

"What is it, Marth?" Ike mumbled sleepily and grouchily, sitting up in his bed.

"Ike, I need to show you this!" Marth said anxiously. "It's really important!"

"Why is it important?" Ike asked, rubbing his eyes. "Can you show it to me tomorrow?"

"No, I need to show it to you now!" Marth protested impatiently.

"Fine." Ike replied.

Marth uneasily sat down on Ike's bed. He was a bit scared to show Ike the bewildering, shocking illustration. How would he react? Would he be so dreadfully shocked that he would pass out? Or would he shrug it off and say it was nothing important?

Before Marth could flip to the page, Ike asked, "What's that book about?"

"I'm not sure." Marth answered. "I was in the library, when I suddenly heard a knock on the door. I went to see who was there, and there was no one. All of a sudden, there was a flash of light that blinded me. When the light died down, this book appeared. I opened it, and..."

Marth never got to finish his sentence, as he cringed in fright.

"Did you read something disturbing?" Ike asked, setting a hand on Marth's sweaty shoulder.

"N...No." Marth answered softly. "The text isn't in English. It's in Hylian. I couldn't read it."

"Is it a picture that scared you?" Ike asked again.

Marth nodded yes.

"Let me guess, it was a picture of a horrifying monster!" Ike guessed out loud.

"No, it was a man." Marth answered quietly.

"What about him?"

"I'll show you." With that, Marth hesitantly opened the book to the certain page.

As soon as Ike's cobalt-blue eyes made contact with the page, the two blue orbs widened in astonishment. The illustration depicted a young prince garbed in a royal blue tunic, tall boots, chestplates, and a flowing sky-blue cape. Sitting on his head was a certain gold tiara. A sword was held in his gloved right hand. His azure hair reached his chin. The blue bangs barely reached his matching cerulean eyes.

Ike glanced at the picture of the prince and at Marth, quickly making comparisons. Yes, the two had the same cerulean eyes that matched with their azure hair. Yet, what made things much more shocking was the tiara! It looked exactly the same as Marth's! What was this? Was this some sort of a trick or sorcery?

"Oh my gosh, he looks like you, Marth!" Ike finally managed to speak.

Marth shakily nodded. "Yeah, he does. I'm scared, Ike. I wonder who is this man. He can't be me, even though he looks like me! This book was probably written long before we were born!"

"This is weird." Ike said. "Hair, eyes, even the tiara! Everything looks the same!"

"Well, there is one small difference." Marth said, taking off his tiara and showing it to Ike. "In the picture, the prince's tiara has a blue gem. Mine's doesn't. It was lost."

"We need to have either Link or Zelda translate this!" Ike said. "Do you think they are still awake?"

"Link told me that Zelda is in a meeting, right before I went to the library." Marth answered. "I don't know about Link, though."

"Well, let's find him and ask him to translate the text!" Ike replied, quickly getting out of his bed.

Holding the book, Marth followed Ike around the shadowy, dark castle. It was awfully quiet, as the castle's inhabitants were either asleep or doing their own things. Not knowing where Link's room was, the two bluenettes sneakily peered into each of the rooms, hoping that no one would notice their rude intruding. Among the rooms, they managed to spot Samus slowly falling asleep, Fox and Falco engaged in a long conversation, and Roy reading a book with Pit. However, there was no Link.

"Maybe Link's busy with something." Ike said.

"Could be." Marth replied.

"Let's get some sleep and ask him tomorrow."

Just as when the two bluenettes turned to go back to their bed chambers, a certain silver-haired adviser directly appeared in front of them in a ray of glittering diamonds. Ike and Marth jumped in surprise, preparing to run away.

"My, good evening, Ike and Marth." Ghiarahim greeted, his voice calm and collected. "Why are you two up so late?"

"We were looking for Link." Ike answered bluntly. "Now, leave us alone!"

"My, how curt." Ghirahim replied with a hint of annoyance. He went closer to Ike and Marth. "Tell me, why were you looking for Link? Did you need something from him?"

"Well, we wanted him to translate something in this book." Marth said, hoping that his answer would make Ghirahim go away. The adviser was making him uncomfortable. "Since we can't find him, we're gonna ask him tomorrow."

"Why don't you ask me? I can translate." Ghirahim offered.

Ike and Marth doubtfully looked at each other. Should they let Ghirahim translate? Sure, they could learn about the prince quicker, but what if Ghiarahim was plotting some sort of a trick? He seemed awfully strange...

"Sure." Ike said, opening the book to the page and giving it to Ghirahim. "Translate this page."

"We really want to know who is this prince." Marth said with a hint of want in his eyes.

"Ah, this prince." Ghirahim said with a small grin. "He awfully looks like you, Marth."

"Well, yeah he does." Marth replied with a small huff.

"Isn't it a coincidence?" Ghirahim asked with a hint of trickery in his voice. "His full name is **Prince Marth Lowell**."

Ike and Marth gasped in shock. No, this could not be!

"This can't be..." Marth said, clutching his head tightly. "That prince shares my name!"

"You're kidding! Are you?" Ike exclaimed.

"No, I'm not." Ghirahim answered. "Would you like to learn more?"

Ike swallowed nervously. "Sure."

"Prince Marth Lowell was the Prince of Altea, a kingdom on an island neighboring the mainland. After when his father was killed in war with Crimea, a rival, enemy kingdom, Marth succeeded him, and became a great ruler. He still had the title "Prince of Altea", as he needed to marry in order to become king. Due to war, he never became king, as he spent his final years fighting Crimea along with allies."

"Did he die in battle?" Marth asked.

"No, he didn't." Ghirahim answered. "Just as when the war reached its height, a violent plague broke out. It claimed many victims; one of them happened to be Marth. In just a few days, Marth passed away."

"From what Zelda told us, there were two kingdoms fighting over land." Ike spoke up. "Are the two kingdoms Altea and Crimea?"

"Yes, they were." Ghirahim answered.

"Why were they fighting?" Ike asked. "Why couldn't they get along? Was there something special in the land?"

Before Ghirahim could answer, he was cut off by a certain, angry, blond Hylian.

"Ghirahim, what are you doing?!" Link asked suspiciously, glaring at the silver-haired adviser.

"Nothing, Link." Ghirahim cooly answered with a smirk. "I was just having a small conversation with your friends."

"Yeah, 'small'!" Link sarcastically replied. "You were telling Ike and Marth something, were you?"

"Fine, fine." Ghirahim sighed in annoyance. "I guess I cannot stretch the lie any longer. I was telling Ike and Marth about the past. The two seem very interested in the history of this world. A few minutes ago, they were looking for you to translate the contents of this book. I kindly offered to translate for them. Now that you are here, I guess I am no longer useful in this situation..." Ghirahim suddenly turned to leave.

"Wait, Ghirahim—!" Link started quickly.

It was too late, as Ghirahim teleported away in a flash of sparkling rays of diamonds. With a soft sigh, Link looked down at the floor, his ears drooping. He was too late. Ike and Marth were already intrigued in Hyrule's past. There was no turning back. Besides, since Marth himself already has a _relationship with Prince Marth himself, _he and Ike should learn about the truth, for better or worse.

"Link, are you alright?" Ike asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Link answered, forcing a small smile.

"Sorry Link, we really wanted to know who this Prince Marth is." Marth apologized.

"Isn't it funny?" Ike spoke. "He has Marth's name and looks exactly like him!"

"I know, it is." Marth said nonchalantly. "...Ike? Marth? Are you two really interested in the past of this world?"

"Yeah!" Ike and Marth answered.

"I really wanted to learn more about your world, Link!" Ike added.

"Well," Link began, unsure how to explain to his friends. "There's something very important that only both of you need to know. However, you can't just learn about it from a book. You need to travel somewhere."

"Where do we need to travel to?" Marth asked.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow in the morning with Princess Zelda." Link answered, a bit stern. "Princess Zelda holds all of the information needed for our travel."

Ike and Marth nodded in understanding, not knowing that a certain adviser was eavesdropping in their conversation.

* * *

Wolf and his men, members of the Anthropomorphic Tribe, were waiting inside the shady, dark forest when Ghirahim approached them with news.

"The plan had just been carried out." Ghirahim said. "As long as fate does its job, your little blond-haired, pointy-eared boy will finally be in your hands."

"So, if you follow your instructions, we will get the boy, am I correct?" Wolf asked.

"Certainly." Ghirahim smiled wickedly. "Just make sure that the azure-haired friend of Ike is in my clutches as well in the end!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'm on Spring Break! Woohoo!  
**

**Sorry that the chapter's a bit short. I just wanted to introduce some suspense into the chapter and the annoying cliffhangers. Hopefully, the pace of the story is going fine.**

**Also, I currently closed the fanfic poll and opened a new poll. If you hadn't heard already, I wanted to start a webcomic based on my fanfics. I did get started on sketching the first comic (Based on Lone Flame.), but I had second thoughts, didn't like the current sketches, and decided to start over. The poll is just asking which fanfic would make an interesting webcomic. Personally, I would really appreciate it if you voted and whatnot. Guests without an account can vote too; just let me know in a review. **

**Story Questions:**

**Do you think Marth is related to the prince?**

**Why do you think Ghirahim wants Marth?**

**Your poll choice? **


	6. Chapter 6: The Woman

"You want to start an exploration with Marth and Ike?" Zelda asked Link the next day. "Why?"

"Ike and Marth are really interested in Hyrule's past." Link explained. "Last night, Marth was browsing through some books in the library and..." Link paused and swallowed nervously before continuing. "...saw a picture of 'him'."

"Him?" Zelda asked in confusion.

"You know, Prince..." Link started.

"Oh, Prince Marth." Zelda answered. She sighed sadly. "I am afraid that there is no other solution. They need to learn the truth."

Link nodded with an unhappy gleam in his azure eyes. "Yes. Now, when can we start an exploration?"

"Tonight, or tomorrow." Zelda answered. "I want Ike and Marth to go to the Divine Dragon Grounds as soon as possible. The sooner, the better. Take today to prepare."

"Yes, Princess Zelda." Link bowed down.

Zelda gave Link an ancient, crumpled map. "Here's a map for your exploration. After the exploration, Ike and his friends need to leave Hyrule as soon as possible." Zelda continued. "It's for their own good. I don't want any of them harmed."

"I understand." Link replied, rolling the map up. "I'll tell Ike and Marth immediately."

As Link quickly left the throne room and strolled down the hallways, he sighed miserably to himself.

"To be honest, I don't want Ike, Marth, and the others to leave..." he said unhappily. "But, like what Zelda said, it's for their own good."

Link paused in his tracks and awkwardly looked around his surrounds. "Speaking of Ike and Marth... Where are they? Oh wait, they went to the bath house."

* * *

While Marth sat in a hot spring and gently massaged soap into his soaking wet hair, he watched Ike pour a pail full of warm water over his body. Ike shivered a bit as the clear liquid rolled down his skin.

The bathroom had several large tubs filled with clear, sparkling water. A few wooden pails sat near the entrance of the room. Smokey steam clouded the air like fog. Open, overhead windows allowed natural light into the room.

"Hey Ike, I had a strange dream last night." Marth said as he rinsed the soap suds out of his blue hair.

"What did you dream?" Ike asked as he got into the tub with Marth.

"I dreamed that I was exploring this ancient castle." Marth explained. "Strangely, everyone felt familiar, even though I had never been there."

"That's all?" Ike replied as he soaped his arms.

"Nope." Marth shook his head. "Later, I met some people. They called me Marth and seem to know me very well. Again, even though I never met them before, I felt that I knew them at one point."

"That is weird!" Ike said, his cobalt eyes full of shock. "It's just like some of my dreams!"

Marth nodded. "I wonder if Princess Zelda approved our exploration."

"Same here." Ike answered. "I really want to learn more about Hyrule."

Marth looked around the bathroom. "Link's world is really interesting, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." Ike replied. As he nodded, water droplets rolled down his indigo hair. "To be honest, I like his world better than ours."

"Why?" Marth asked.

"This world feels more like home for some reason." Ike explained. "When we first entered this world, I felt that I was returning from a long journey."

"Same here." Marth agreed.

Ike carefully stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist. "I'm going to change now. How about you?"

"I'm coming!" Marth replied.

Being careful so he wouldn't slip on the damp ground, Marth cautiously got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around his body, and followed Ike. Strangely, when he set his right foot onto the moist ground, he began to feel dizzy.

At first, Marth ignored it, thinking that it was the cold air. However, as he hurried to catch up with Ike, the top that slowly spun in his head began to whir uncontrollably in circles. His eyeballs suddenly began to ache. With a small groan, Marth kneeled down and tightly clutched his head. What was happening?

"Marth." a small, feminine voice called out.

Confused and dazed, Marth looked up and spotted a woman with long, straight blue hair and cold blue eyes that gazed into his soul. She was dressed in a short red skirt, tall boots, and white breastplates.

Marth blinked and rubbed his eyes. Was he seeing things? Mysteriously, he felt that he saw the woman before...

"Who are you?" Marth asked, a bit scared.

The woman suddenly stepped forward, causing a loud screech to shriek into his ears. Marth grunted and covered his throbbing ears.

"Why are you friends with him, Marth?" the woman sternly questioned, her voice rising in anger.

"Who, Ike?" Marth asked, giving the woman a strange look.

"Yes, him!" the woman answered bluntly.

"We've been friends ever since we were kids." Marth replied. He began to feel nervous. "What's wrong with that?"

"You idiot!" the woman screamed furiously. "You two are supposed to be enemies and never return to the Surface! Don't you remember?!

"Who are you?" Marth softly asked, shivering uneasily. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT!?"

Ike heard Marth's loud yell and quickly turned around. "Marth, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Marth looked up and saw Ike hurrying towards him. The woman suddenly vanished into thin air. "No." he weakly replied. "I feel really dizzy..."

Ike gently cradled the faint bluenette. "What were you yelling at?"

"This blue-haired woman appeared." Marth began. "She told me that we were not meant to be friends and return to... A place called the Surface."

"That's really strange!" Ike replied.

"Yeah. I also felt that I've known her for a long time, like a distant memory." Marth said.

"Marth, can you stand up on your own?" Ike asked in concern.

Ike released Marth, who unsteadily stood up like a newborn fawn. Marth blinked as the top that spun violently in his head slowly came to a complete stop.

"I guess so." Marth answered with a soft smile. "Personally, I wouldn't worry about it."

"That's good." Ike smiled at his best friend. "Still, I'm keeping an eye on you!"

* * *

After changing into their clothes, Ike and Marth exited the bathhouse. Outside, they met Link, who was waiting for them just at the front of the entrance.

"Hey, Link!" Ike greeted. "Did Princess Zelda approve our exploration trip?"

Link smiled softly. "Yes, she did!"

"That's great!" Marth exclaimed. "So, where do we need to go?"

"Come here." Link led Ike and Marth underneath a towering oak free, which provided a cool shade. The three sat down on the fresh, green grass.

Link opened the map and showed it to his friends. "Alright, this is Hyrule Castle Town." He pointed to a castle at the center of the map. "That's where we are now. Our destination is Mount Prism." Link pointed to a tell mountain northwest of Hyrule.

"Why do we need to go to Mount Prism?" Ike asked curiously.

"I assume that Ghirahim told you two who are the Alteans." Link began to explain. "Thousands of years ago before the Great War, Mount Priam was a popular pilgrimage site for the Alteans. They believed that the god Naga resided there. We are going there because, the Voice of Naga will gives us the answers to Hyrule's past."

"It seems very far..." Marth commented.

"Don't worry, we'll get there quickly!" Link gestured Ike and Marth to follow him. "Follow me."

Link led Ike and Marth to a barnyard behind the castle. The barnyard consisted of a wooden barn, a few stalls, and fenced fields. The sun, a glowing orb in the clear, blue sky, embraced the earth with warmth. As Link guided his friends around the yard, he cautiously avoided eye contact with the chickens, who were pecking the ground for seeds and whatnot. (Link never liked them.)

"Do either of you know what is a pegasus?" Link asked his friends, guiding them to a field.

"I've heard of them in books." Marth answered. "They are horses with wings. But, they are only imaginary creatures."

"Well, do they look imaginary now?" Link asked, pointing at something grazing in the fields.

Ike's and Marth's mouths dropped open in surprise. There, casually pacing around the fields, were several pegasi. While most of them were white, some of them were dark. A few pegasi had a pointed horn on their head, indicating them as alicorns.

"Whoa!" Ike exclaimed in shock.

"I never knew that they were real!" Marth managed to gasp.

"Princess Zelda told me that the fastest way to get to Mount Prism is by pegasus." Link explained, opening a gate. "Do you want to meet some of them?"

"Sure!" Ike and Marth answered, a bit excited.

When Ike, Marth, and Link entered the field, most of the pegasi and alicorns ignored the humans and Hylian. Yet, a chestnut-brown pegasus with a white mane quickly looked up when she heard the three males enter. With an excited, happy neigh, she swiftly rushed towards Link.

"Wah!" Link shouted when the pegasus abruptly ran into him, knocking him onto the ground with a thud. "Epona! I missed you too!" Ignoring the dull ache in his back, Link began to gently stroke his pegasus's mane.

"Epona?" Ike asked. "Is she your pegasus?"

"Yes!" Link answered. "I've known her ever since I was a child!"

"That's neat!" Ike replied. "Do you ride her?"

"Yep!" Link said as Epona nuzzled his blond hair. "I really enjoy flying on her!"

"So," Marth began, looking at the other pegasi and alicorns. "which pegasus should we choose? Which one has the best personality?"

"Most of them have a friendly personality." Link answered. "Try talking to each of them."

Ike and Marth nodded and began to try to talk to the pegasi. The two humans tried everything, from baby-talking to gently stroking their mane. Yet, despite their affectionate efforts, most of the pegasi ignored them and angrily neighed at them in annoyance.

"Man, they aren't as friendly as Link said." Ike sighed sadly.

"I think the pegasi aren't used to humans." Marth responded.

"Yeah..." Ike shook his head.

"Maybe we can ask Link for some— WOOAH!"

Marth was abruptly tackled by a whirl of white. Colors spun around his view and pain explored through his body.

"Marth!" Ike yelled in shock, running towards his friend. "Hey, get off him!"

Marth looked up and saw a pegasus with a blond mane gaze dearly into his eyes. With a loving, soft neigh, she gently nuzzled Marth's forehead with the side of her head.

"Uh, can you please get off me?" Marth awkwardly asked.

The pegasus obeyed obediently and stepped off the bluenette. As soon as Marth got onto his feet, the pegasus went to his side and affectionately looked at him.

Ike laughed. "Hey Marth, I think that pegasus likes you!"

Marth smiled hesitantly. "I guess so." He gave the blond pegasus a pat on the head and suddenly froze. "Uh, Ike? I think you need to look behind you!"

Curious, Ike turned around and spotted a pink-haired alicorn timidly looking at him. Her tail slowly wagged in shyness.

"Oh, well hello there..." Ike said with a small smile, trying not to scare the alicorn. He began to pet the alicorn's coat. The alicorn quietly whinnied in pleasure.

"So, I see you guys found your pegasi." Link spoke, walking towards his friends. Epona trailed behind him.

"Yep!" Marth answered. "This pegasus is really friendly. I think I known her at one point!"

Link paused before smiling at his friends. "Well, that's interesting!"

"Link, I forgot to ask you something." Ike spoke up. "When are we going to start our exploration?"

"Oh yes!" Link exclaimed. "We are going to begin our exploration tonight. Princess Zelda said the sooner we finish our exploration, the better."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Here's some fan service(?). Enjoy you pervs.  
**

**Welp, here's the the 6th chapter. When writing this chapter, I couldn't decide if the story should include horses (Epona from Legend of Zelda) or pegasi (Fire Emblem). I eventually decided on pegasi, so please don't get angry at me for turning Epona into a pegasus! T.T **

**In the next chapter, Ike, Marth, and Link will begin their exploration. Hopefully, this story isn't boring and whatnot. I mean, I hadn't been getting a lot of feedback and followers on it. (I'm not complaining. I'm just pointing things out, don't worry.) **

**As for the poll, the fanfic More Than It Meets the Eyes has the most votes. Lone Flame and Hollow are tied. (Yes, it includes a guest's vote.) I'm still going to keep the poll up, so please vote if you hadn't!**

**Annoying Story Questions:**

**Who do you think was the lady Marth saw in the bathhouse?**

**Do you think other characters should join the exploration?**

**(You don't need to answer this): Any suggestions on what should happen in chapter 7?**

** Note: I don't own SSB! Nintendo does!**


	7. Chapter 7: Close Call

That night, Ike, Marth, and Link were ready to begin their exploration. They stood outside of Hyrule Castle Town, waiting for Roy and Pit to arrive. (Roy wanted to come along because he wanted to aid them. Pit insisted on joining the exploration because he was greatly curious.) Four pegasi roamed around their owners, waiting for them to mount them.

Link, Ike, and Marth were each dressed in tunics, as Link told them they provide more comfort in traveling. Link was wearing a simple forest-green tunic and a cerulean scarf. Ike was wearing a dark blue tunic with gold trimmings and a dark red scarf. Marth's outfit was similar to Ike's, however his tunic was sky-blue and his scarf was dark blue.

Ike was greatly excited. What would he and his friends discover? He dearly wanted to learn more about Hyrule's past because, for most of his life, he was cooped up in the underground city's tiny bird cage. Now that Ike the sparrow was freed from his restraints, he was allowed to fly freely around the world.

"We're here!" Roy cried out as he and Pit hurried to their friends. The redhead was garbed in an azure tunic and a purple scarf.

"Good." Ike replied. "So Link, are we going to fly directly to Mount Prism?"

"No." Link opened the map and showed it to his friends. "We are going to travel through the forest and rest. Tomorrow morning, we will finish our journey to Mount Prism and return to Hyrule Castle Town."

"Are we going to run into Risen or any dangerous Pokemon?" Marth asked. He was still a bit traumatized by the sudden encounter of the zombie-like monsters.

"I don't think so." Link answered. "The only like roaming around the forest. Still, we must put our guards up just in case." Link turned and mounted Epona. "Let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we will return!"

With that, the travelers boarded their pegasi (Flapped his wings in terms of Pit.) and set off to the sky. As his pegasus soared higher and higher into the air, Ike tightly clutched his mount's saddle and held on for dear life. His heart beats increased rapidly as the world below quickly grew smaller. Hyrule Castle Town transformed into a series of geometric shapes and blurs of colors surrounded by green.

"Ike? Are you ok?" Marth asked his friend as he flew next to him.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Ike answered with a convincing smile. "It's just that, I had never been up so high!"

Pit flew next to Ike and Marth. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it!"

"Says the angel." Roy, who was flying behind the three, said mischievously.

Marth and Ike laughed at the redhead's sudden statement while Pit comically scowled.

"Link, you know where we are going, right?" Ike asked.

"Yeah!" Link replied. "As long as I can see where we are going!"

Ike nodded in response and began to look around his dark, yet mystifying surroundings. He chose not to down at the patches of trees, grass, and a tiny pond, but up at the night sky instead. Sparkling, white specks known as stars glittered and danced above his head. It turned the dark realm above into a tiny world filled with mysterious things to discover. Admittedly, he was tempted to fly higher to the tiny world and look at the tiny specks much closer. Yet, he decided not to. His pegasus could only fly so high.

On the other hand, Marth looked down at the earth below. Now that he was up in the air riding his pegasus with his friends, he no longer felt tiny and helpless, like he did when Ike and the others were traveling through the woods in hopes of returning Link back home. He felt powerful, like a god. Every living thing was now insignificant, like dust.

Link, who was riding Epona and reading his map at the same time, immediately looked up as puffs of white fog began to roll in. Like pea soap, it greatly clouded the travelers' visions and began to cause confusion. The cool air slowly dropped; its temperature matched the climate of a freezing rainy day.

"What is this?!" Roy asked, squinting to see where he was going.

"It's fog..." Pit sighed in frustration.

"I can't see through the fog!" Link yelled, hoping that his friends could hear him clearly. "We have to fly down, where the fog's less thick!"

Understanding the Hylian's orders, Ike and the others obeyed and followed Link, who dived down. As the travelers went closer to the earth, the cloudy fog slowly ceased, clearing their visions. The temperature slightly warmed. Ike looked up; much to his disappointment, the fog covered the dancing stars.

"Can you see better, Link?" Pit asked.

"Yes!" Link replied loudly.

"How far are we from our destination?" Marth questioned. The bluenette felt a bit sleepy.

"Halfway through." Link said as he browsed through his map.

Marth nodded and held on, as he did not want to fall asleep and slip off his pegasus.

Ike, who was carefully watching his friends, suddenly got an abrupt, nervous feeling. His body slowly beginning to tremble, he wryly glanced around his surroundings. Why was this? Was there a flying enemy heading towards him and his friends? Ike did not see anything soaring towards them.

"What's wrong, Ike?" Marth asked worriedly.

"I sense that something's wrong." Ike anxiously replied. "I think something dangerous about to happen."

"Something is going to attack us in the sky?" Roy questioned, joining the conversation.

"I don't see anything..." Ike said, shrugging his shoulders.

Wait, nothing in the sky was preparing to attack the travelers, right? The source of Ike's fears and concerns might be at the... Ike looked down at the earth and gasped in horror.

"MARTH! LOOK OUT!" Ike screamed loudly.

Luckily, Marth's pegasus had great reflexes and managed to dodge the swift arrow, which shot up like a sudden flash of lightning. Pit flinched in fright. Roy and Link began to quickly look around for the source of the lethal ammunition.

"W-What was that?!" Marth exclaimed in shock, peering around.

"That was an arrow." Link said, his face turning white as he looked down. "No, it can't be...!"

Through the thick forest, Link saw specks of glowing red eyes glaring back at him. A dreadful aura tugged at his heartstrings, triggering his fight-or-flight response.

"Risen archers!" Pit cried out, feeling adrenaline wash over him. "How do they know that we are here?!"

"I don't know and don't care!" Ike replied, starting to panic. "Link! Do we fight or flee from the Risen?"

"We need to flee!" Link answered, trying to stay calm.

"How?" Roy asked fearfully.

Before Link could answer, he glanced down again and shouted. "Arrows! We must fly up!"

A storm of arrows swiftly shot up towards the travelers. Most of them were aimed directly at both Marth and Link for a strange reason. The pegasi quickly jolted further into the sky and avoided the pointed sticks of destruction, which barely missed them. Pit managed to barely dodge an arrow, which nearly hit his precious wing.

"We need to go faster!" Link said.

"Why?!" Ike shouted. "We can't see! We might crash into something!"

Link's pointy ears, which were more sensitive than his friends' caught a slight echo. "Ike, please shout again." Link ordered.

"Why?!" Ike shouted again.

Link heard Ike's voice bounce back to him. "Everyone, shout as loud as I can. You probably can't hear it, but I can hear your voices echo. This tells me how close the mountains are."

"What about it?" Marth asked.

"There's a small mountain cave located on top of one of the mountains." Link quickly explained. "That's where we are going to stay for the night!"

Pit looked down and spotted the Risen firing arrows at him and his friends. "Arrows incoming! Look out!"

The travelers flew their pegasi higher into the air, where arrows zipped by them, nearly striking them.

"What the—!" Ike exclaimed, panicky looking around.

"Link! The Risen are now armed with Longbows!" Pit shouted, keeping a sharp eye on the zombie-like creatures.

"Shoot, that means they have a higher shooting range!" Link mumbled to himself before yelling. "Everyone! We're close to the mountains! I can hear it! So, fly faster!"

Like quick shooting stars, the pegasi raced through the sky, willing to project their riders. The wind whistled in their ears. This was a matter of life and death! If a single arrow struck them, it was the end!

"The Risen are gathering close to the mountains!" Pit warned in a panicked voice, squinting his eyes to see through the fog.

"Faster! Faster!" Link only exclaimed back.

Hissing lividly, the Risen took their Longbows and took aim at the travelers.

"At this point, if they fire, we'll be done for!" Pit added.

"We're almost there!" Link responded, trying to stay cool. "We need a few seconds!"

"We don't have a few seconds!" Roy cried out, pointing at the Risen, who just released their arrows. The jagged sticks flew up at them in a fury.

"Look! There it is!" Link pointed to a large cave engraved in a mountain. "Full speed everyone!"

Shutting his eyes shut in anxiety, Ike held on to his pegasus, hoping desperately that he and his friends would make it. C'mon, they traveled so far for this and this was how it was going to end?!

"Closer...!" Link spoke through gritted teeth.

_Whoosh! _In a gust of wind, the pegasi zoomed into the save, just in time. As his pegasus came to a complete stop, Ike shakily got off it and turned around. He flinched as he watched hundreds of arrows swiftly zip up into the air.

"That was close..." Marth sighed as he got off his pegasus.

"Yeah, it was!" Roy panted, shakily jumping off his mount.

"Is everyone ok?" Pit asked, looking at his friends for any signs of injuries. His question was answered by a "Yeah.", "Yes.", and a nod.

"That's good." Link said before turning to the pegasi. "Good job, everyone." he gently whispered, giving Epona and the other pegasi a pat on the head.

"Can the Risen reach us here?" Marth asked in concern.

"No." Link answered, giving Epona a small snack. "The mountain is too steep for them to climb. Just relax, ok?"

"Y...Yes." Marth answered, taking a bottle of water out of his bag and offering it to Ike, Pit, and Roy. "Do you guys need some water?"

"Sure!" Pit and Roy answered at the exact time.

"No, I'm ok." Ike answered.

"Are you sure?"

With a wearily nod, Ike turned and looked outside. The fog slowly cleared, revealing the dancing, twinkling stars. Ike's cobalt orbs sleepily gazed at the silvery specks before they slowly closed and brought Ike into the subconscious world.

* * *

"Drats!" Ghirahim yelled angrily at the Risen, who trembled in fright. "We nearly got them! Nearly!"

Ghirahim looked up at the mountains and scowled.

"If it weren't for Ike warning his little friends, Marth and Link would be in our hands now!" Ghirahim exclaims to the Risen, before he began to pace around nervously. "Oh, what should I do now? If I don't return with Marth, he won't be pleased! Without Marth, we wouldn't be able to perform the ritual! Also, Link is the only one capable of defeating **Master**!"

"Did you just mention me?" a low voice growled.

Ghirahim jumped and turned around. He saw a tall, bulky man slowly stomp towards him. Not wanting to stand in his way, the Risen quickly cleared a path for the demon king-like figure.

The demon king had skin that was made of dark scales and bare with gray. A belt and a cape hung around his waist. In place of hair, his head was covered with orange flames. A scar was sliced along his forehead.

"Ah! Master!" Ghirahim exclaimed in surprise. "What a surprise to see you here!"

"Silence!" Demise bellowed. "You failed to seize that little blue-haired prince and demolish that blond Hylian! I wanted to see the prince in our hands and the Hero's body impaled by thousands of arrows! You failed me!"

Ghirahim's face slightly turned pale. "Don't fret, Master! We have allies! They will aid us!"

Demise glowered at Ghirahim.

"They promised to snatch Marth in exchange for Link!" Ghirahim continued. "Does that sound convincing?"

Demise paused for a minute before nodding, much to Ghirahim's relief.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Sorry for the late update! *Gets hit with rotten tomatoes*  
**

**I finally managed to finish this chapter! Again, hopefully the pace of the story is well and the late updates aren't bothering my readers. I'm currently busy with studying for an important test in May, so don't be to surprise if I suddenly disappear from the earth of the internet. **

**As for the last chapter, welp, I accidentally got Epona's gender wrong! It should be corrected now! Feel free to notify me if I make a mistake! **

**I hope I described Ghirahim's and Demise's relationship correctly. In Skyward Sword, the two were only shown together for a few moments. **

**Also, if you're wondering about the webcomic poll, Lone Flame won. If I get lots of free time, I'm going to quickly sketch the comic as soon as possible. I reopened the next fanfic poll, but I replaced one of the choices, since I felt that it was a better story idea. (I'm going to get flamed for this...) **

**Story Questions: **

**Do you think Marth is _actually _Prince Marth himself?**

**Why do you think Demise wants Link dead?**


	8. Chapter 8: His Eyes

After resting, the travelers continued on their journey first thing in the morning. As they rode their pegasi across the sky, Ike uneasily looked down at the earth, trying to spot traces of Risen. He was a bit paranoid due to last night's event.

"We better be careful." Ike said to his friends. "The Risen might try to attack us again."

"Don't worry, they only come out during night." Link replied with a assuring look.

"How far are we from Mount Prism?" Roy asked.

Pit, who was flying next to Roy, pointed to a mountain with a clear waterfall rolling down its cliffs and a tiny rainbow glittering behind it. Roy looked closer at the mountains and saw an ancient temple sitting on one of its cliff.

"Not very far." Pit answered. "If we fly quickly enough, we can reach Mount Prism in a few minutes."

"Let's pick up the pace." Link added.

Obeying Link's order, the pegasi began to soar faster, increasing their pace. As he gradually went closer to Mount Prism, Marth began to sense an intriguing feeling. It was distant, yet warm and comforting like the presence of a loving family. He wanted to hurry. He wanted to rush into the welcoming arms of the presence and embrace it. He sensed that Mount Prism was a warm, welcoming place.

Ike on the other hand, suddenly felt uneasy and dreadfully worried. He sensed an oppressing feeling lurking in the air. What was it? Was it another bunch of Risen preparing to attack his friends again? No, it wasn't. Yes, the feeling did warn him, but it wasn't alerting him of a dangerous force. It was warning him to turn around and leave the area. Ike trespassed a sacred place, where only the most powerful men could enter. Ike was not a powerful man; he was a simple, common man.

As he and his friends flew upwards towards Mount Prism's cliffs, Ike suddenly felt light-headed. A tiny blender stirred the contents of his head with a loud buzz, making Ike feel nauseous. No, he was not allowed to come to Mount Prism. There was something wrong here! With a small groan, Ike buried his face into his pegasus's neck.

"Ike, are you ok?" Marth asked worriedly, looking at his friend. "Are you sick?"

"No, I'm not sick." Ike replied weakly, looking up. His face was pale with dread and his cobalt eyes lost its lively twinkle. "I just feel... That I shouldn't be here."

"Why?"

Before Ike even got the chance to part his lips and say anything, his eyes fluttered shut as he suddenly fainted. His limp body slowly slid off his pegasus' back and began to plummet towards the rock-hard ground. Ike's pegasus neighed loudly in alarm, alerting his friends that something disaster was happening.

"Ike!" Link exclaimed.

Pit and Roy covered their eyes with shaking hands.

Just as Link was about to dive down, Marth suddenly sped past him like an arrow. "I got him!" he quickly called.

"Please hurry!" Link whispered as he watched.

Grasping the rim of his pegasus' saddle, Marth gnashed his teeth as he dived his pegasus towards Ike. No, Ike couldn't go like this! He needed to discover the truth first! This was not the way it should end!

_Whoosh! _With a graceful swoop, Marth's pegasus managed to stoop down fast enough and catch Ike on its back in midair. Ike landed on Marth's lap. Marth "oofed" and clutch Ike tightly, so he would not fall off again.

"I got Ike!" Marth shouted as he returned to his friends.

"Good!" Link called back. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Marth tried to explain. "Ike told me that he sensed that he didn't belong here and all of a sudden, he fainted!"

"Did he tell why he felt like that?" Roy asked.

"Well..." Marth began. He softly gasped when Ike stirred. "Ike's waking up!"

Ike groaned softly as he painstakingly opened his eyes and looked around. "What happened, guys?"

"Marth told me that you suddenly fainted." Link explained sternly. "He also mentioned that you feel that's welcomed here. Why is that?"

"I don't know." Ike simply answered. "I just felt that way."

"Everyone, we are close to the peak of Mount Prism!" Pit spoke up, pointed at the small cliff with the temple. "Let's go!"

"We'll talk about this later." Link quickly said to Ike, before taking off to the sky.

Putting Ike's dilemma away, the travelers continued their way up Mount Prism. When they finally reached the peak of the towering mountain, they carefully got off their pegasi and stepped onto the cliff.

Ike looked behind and was amazed by the view. He could see every inch of the forest, which were represented by bushes of green hues. The smaller mountains appeared as rocky spikes protruding from the ground. As he looked at the far distance, the hues began to vanish into the deep blue sky. However, he managed to spot Hyrule Castle Town in the distance by squinting.

"We're finally here..." Link said out loud.

Ike turned around and spotted an ancient temple looming over him and his friends. It casted a deep shadow over them. The temple was made completely out of a pale blue marble. It was slightly ruined, indicating that it was centuries old.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Roy asked, about to enter the temple. "Let's go!"

Pit immediately grabbed Roy's hand, stopping him in his tracks. "No, Roy. Ike, Marth, and Link can enter, not us. They are the only ones allowed."

With a sad sigh, Roy nodded in understanding.

"Ike, Marth?" Link spoke calmly, gesturing to them to follow him."Let's go."

"Right." Marth replied.

Ike nodded in response.

Link led Ike and Marth into the temple. Inside, there were a few columns holding up the ceiling. Large windows let the clear, bright sunlight in, which lit the entire room. A few marble statutes of dragons, great kings, and divine gods were placed against the wall. In the center of the room was a clear spring.

Behind the spring was a sleeping green-haired girl seated in a throne. Her hair shared its hue from jade. Sitting on her head was a gold crown embodied with rare, sparkling jewels. She was garbed in a sleeveless red dress with a velvet, pink ribbon, a matching pink cape, and tall red boots.

At first sight, Ike assumed she was a Hylian due to her long, pointy ears. But his senses told him he was incorrect otherwise.

"Lady Tiki, I bring you visitors." Link spoke.

Tiki stirred as she slowly awoke. Rubbing the sleep out of her heavy eyes, yawned and glanced at the visitors. Her emerald eyes widened in awe as she suddenly recognized Marth. In excitement, her heart began to beat violently, erasing all traces of slumber from her soul.

"M...Mar-Mar?" she asked in disbelief, rising from her seat. "Is that really you?"

Marth began to feel uncomfortable as Tiki slowly went towards him. "Mar-Mar?" he asked in confusion. He suddenly felt nervous.

Tiki looked at Marth from head to toe. No... It couldn't be him! He passed away centuries ago! He couldn't be physically here! He was currently in another world!

Finally deciding that Marth was not a fragment of her dream, Tiki threw her arms around the bluenette and gave him a tight hug.

"Waagh!" Matth exclaimed in shock.

"Marth! You're back!" Tiki cried out, trying to hold back tears. "I knew that sooner or later, you'll return! I'm so happy that this isn't a dream!"

Marth tried to push Tiki away, yet Tiki's grasp was too tight. "I don't know you!" he said, grasping for air.

Ike stepped forward towards Marth and Tiki. "Hey, let go of him!"

With a frightened gasp, Tiki gazed up at Ike in fright and tightly clutched Marth. "Oh Marth! He's right there! Please, don't let him seal me away!"

"What are you talking about?" Ike bluntly asked. "I'm just trying to get you to release Marth!"

"Tiki!" Link shouted, grabbing Tiki's attention.

"Huh?" Tiki asked softly, her eyes filled with confusion. "What is it, Link?"

"These two people Ike and Marth aren't the people you known centuries ago!" Limk explained. "They don't know who are you and what happened during the Great War!"

"Oh..." With an unhappy look in her eyes, Tiki released Marth from her crushing embrace and sadly looked up at him. Lonely emerald orbs met confused azure orbs. "I'm sorry, I thought you were really him. I mean, you had his name and nearly looked exactly like him!"

"It's ok." Marth smiled warmly at Tiki, making her blush. "So, your name is Tiki?"

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself." Tiki replied. "My name is Tiki. I am the Voice and daughter of the deity Naga, the leader of the Divine Dragons. Why are you three here?"

"We are here to ask you some questions about the past." Ike answered.

"Wait, hold on..." Tiki cautiously went closer to Ike and stared into his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ike asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

"You have his eyes." Tiki abruptly stated. "However, they are filled with the will to protect, not vengefulness. I trust that you are not him."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Ike asked. "What is this?"

"I am sorry for confusing you." Tiki apologized sincerely. "What do you two what to ask me?"

"May you please tell us every detail about the Great War that occurred in Hyrule?" Marth asked, a bit stern. "We want to know what happened and those involved in it."

"Ah, the Great War." Tiki answered calmly. "Sit around the spring please."

While Ike and Marth sat down in front of the spring, Link stayed behind and sadly looked away.

"The Great War began when the ancient kingdom Altea went into conflict with their rival kingdom Crimea. The entire war dragged all of the neighboring tribe into it. They were forced to side with either kingdom. The war reached its climax when Altea and Crimea tried to claim the Triforce, a powerful treasure owned by the Hylians. They failed in their mission, and the war ended when..." Tiki sighed miserably at the depressing memory. "...When Prince Marth passed away due to a sudden illness."

"Can you tell us who was Prince Marth?" Ike asked. "How did he rule his kingdom? Why did his kingdom went to war against Crimea?"

Tiki frowned unhappily. "Prince Marth... Unlike his father, he ruled Altea with both his heart and mind, not with force. He was a kind-hearted person... I miss him dearly..." Tiki sniffed as she tried to blink away tears.

"Wait, this doesn't make any sense!" Marth spoke up, a bit confused. "If Marth was a kind ruler, then why did he start a war against Crimea? From what I heard, Altea and Crimea were fighting over land. Was it an act of dominance?"

"No, it wasn't. It was an act of peacekeeping." Tiki answered.

"Peacekeeping?" Ike and Marth looked at each other in confusion.

"The land Altea and Crimea tried to claim for themselves wasn't just any land." Tiki began to explain. "The land had an ancient alter, known as the Dragon's Table."

"What was special about the Dragon's Table?" Ike asked. "Did it have some sort of a power?"

"No, it didn't." Tiki answered solemnly. "It was where the Earth Dragons were sealed."

"Why did both Crimea and Altea want the Dragon's Table?" Marth asked. "Did they want the power of these Earth Dragons?"

"Yes, Crimea wanted the power of the Earth Dragons." Tiki answered. "If I remember correctly, their corrupted leader wanted their power to get revenge back at the Alteans. Upon hearing the news, Prince Marth was willing to do anything to prevent the destruction of his kingdom and the world."

"Destruction of the world? That escalated quickly." Ike commented. "So, the Earth Dragons can destroy the world?"

"Yes. Long ago, centuries before the Great War, the Earth Dragons allied with the Demons and attempted to conquer the world in darkness. The Demons were masterminds pulling the Earth Dragon's strings. The Earth Dragons kidnapped hundreds of men, women, and children and took them to the Dragon's Table, where they fed on their souls and turned them into Risen, soulless humans with a taste or violence and followers of the Earth Dragons. Luckily, ancient heroes joined hands and defeated the Demons and Earth Dragons. All of the Earth Dragons were sealed away in the Dragon's Table, while most of the Demons were slaughtered with the heroes' blades."

"Most?" Marth asked. "Not all of the Demons were killed?"

"Yes." Tiki looked down sadly. "Some managed to flee and vowed to revive their master Demise and the leader of the Earth Dragons Medeus."

"Are the Demons still around today?" Ike asked.

"I do not know." Tiki answered. "The reason for that is, after the surviving Demons fled, they were never seen again. There is no physical description of them. However, I sense that Demise is revived."

"How come?" Ike asked. "Is it because we entered Hyrule?"

"No, I sensed his return after the Great War." Tiki looked into the spring and blinked, trying to straighten things out. "I don't know how he was revived... But, I'm glad that Medeus didn't return... For now..."

"What do you mean, for now?" Marth asked.

Tiki's stern eyes glared sharply into Marth's eyes. "In order to release Medeus from his seal and return his powers to him, the embodiment of Prince Marth's soul must be offered to him at the Dragon's Temple. Medeus will consume Prince Marth's soul to renew himself."

"So?" Marth asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. "Is the reincarnation of Prince Marth somewhere in Hyrule?"

"Yes, he is." Tiki curtly answered. "Actually, I am looking at him now."

* * *

**Author's Notes: DUN DUN DUN! Another evil cliffhanger!  
**

**I finally managed to finish this chapter. Sorry if there's too much dialogue in here. I couldn't describe a lot of things in this chapter. Hopefully, this chapter answered a lot of questions. In case if you're confused about the timeline, it is:**

**The heroes defeat the Earth Dragons and Demons The Great War Present.**

**Hopefully, that will help. ^^**

**As for my future stories, I decide to try to tackle both stories. Yes, I'm going to try to work on two fanfics at once. I opened another poll asking who should be the serial killer (Ike or Marth.) in the maybe-horror story, so please check it out!**

**Story Questions:**

**Do you think Ike is related to the Crimean leader who fought against Altea?**

**Sooner or later, Demise and his Demon followers will finally get their hands on Marth. Any suggestions on how? **


	9. Chapter 9: Triangle

Shocked, Marth's face turned white as his cerulean eyes began to widen in bewilderment and confusion. Marth tightly clutched his azure hair and looked at his feet. No, this couldn't be! This could not be true! But then again, Marth did look nearly identical to Prince Marth.

Ike could not accept Tiki's abrupt statement. His best friend, a reincarnation of a legendary prince?! This was hard to believe! For a long time, Ike simply viewed Marth as a close friend. Tiki could only look at the stunned Marth.

"Are you joking?" Marth uneasily asked, looking up at Tiki.

"No, I'm not joking." Tiki answered sternly.

"Is it because I coincidently look like Prince Marth?!" Marth asked again, unable to calm down. "Or is it because I have his name?"

"No. Those are not the reasons why you are the embodiment of Prince Marth's spirit." Tiki set a gentle hand on Marth's left hand. "Let me see your hand, please."

Marth nodded, allowing Tiki to take his hand. Tiki shut her eyes and began to mumble words. Her words were not understandable, as she was speaking in an old, ancient language used centuries ago. Marth and Ike could only look at each other, confused and not understanding what Tiki was doing. Link, who was still standing behind the two and watching the scene, looked down at his left hand with a sad, distressed sigh.

When Tiki finished chanting the mysterious, ancient language and opened her eyes, a glowing, fragmented piece of a gold triangle suddenly shone on Marth's left hand. Marth gasped loudly and gazed at the shape in amazement. Wait, this could not be! He could not have it!

At the same time, the Triforce of Courage glowed on the back of Link's left hand. Unlike his friends however, Link was unfazed, like of he was expecting this to happen.

Much to Ike's surprise, a tiny piece of a gold triangle weakly shimmered on the back of his left hand. "What the—" he gasped, looking at Marth's shining hand. "Marth, your hand! I mean, our hands!"

"I know!" Marth exclaimed. "Tiki, is it what we think it is?"

"Yes." Tiki replied, admiring the gold triangle shining on Marth's hand. "This proves that you are the incarnation of Prince Marth's spirit. During the battle over the Triforce, Prince Marth and the leader of Crimea shattered the entire Triforce start. As it fell, the Triforce of Power shattered into a large piece and a small piece. To his favor, Prince Marth managed to seize the larger piece and tried to use it against the Crimean leader, only to get chased away by the Hylians and Angels. The piece of the Triforce of Power isn't passed down by blood. It is only shown in the hands of Prince Marth's spirit."

"Wait, if the Crimean leader got the smallest piece of the Triforce of Power," Ike started, looking at the tiny glowing shard on his hand. "then what is this?! Is this the smaller piece of the Triforce? If so, why do I have it?!"

"That is the smaller piece of the shattered Triforce." Tiki clarified. "Why do you have it? The answer is simple. You are the embodiment of Prince Ike, the ruler who led Crimea."

Ike's cobalt eyes we're as wide as eggs. "Wait, Prince Ike? He was the ruler of the kingdom Crimea, right? H-How was he?"

Tiki looked down at the spring sadly. "In his youth, Prince Ike was an intelligent, protective ruler who would have been a fine, kind ruler. However, a tragic event in his late childhood shattered his personality."

"What happened?" Ike asked.

"His father, the previous ruler of Crimea, was assassinated." Tiki explained. "A crest from the Kingdom Altea was found on the deceased king's body. Upon discovering this, Prince Ike vowed to get revenge on Altea. He did anything that it takes to destroy a kingdom, even if it meant destroying the world."

"Geez, that's insane..." Ike looked down.

"I assume that both of you had dizzy spells and even fainted at least once, am I correct?" Tiki's question was answered by Ike's and Marth's nods. "The soul of Prince Marth and Prince Ike are trying to warn you. They are telling both of you to leave this world immediately."

"Why?" Ike asked.

Link quickly looked away and shut his eyes, trying to hold back tears.

"The Risen, Medeus's followers, will do anything to capture Marth." Tiki explained. "They want to revive their leader."

"Where can we go?" Marth asked.

"The safest place for both of you to stay is your birthplace." Tiki answered. "Or Hollow, as we call it."

"If it's for the best for Hyrule and us, then we'll leave as soon as possible!" Ike replied bravely.

Marth nodded in agreement.

As Ike and Marth rose and turned to leave, Tiki quickly stopped them.

"Wait, before you two go, I need to give something to Marth!" she exclaimed.

Marth paused and turned to Tiki. "Yes, what is it?"

"I want you to have this!" Tiki reached into her dress pocket and took out a shiny, clear, aquamarine gem. It was a fragment from a crystal-clear sky. "Before he left for battle, Prince Marth gave me this gem as a gift! It was part of his crown!"

As Marth was given the blue gem, he examined the jewel before taking off his tiara. Marth's tiara nearly looked like a gold hairband. It was embroiled with tiny sapphire crystals. At the middle of the tiara, was an empty space for a missing jewel.

Blinking, Marth took the blue gem and placed it into the empty spot. The gem was a perfect fit. Marth set his tiara onto his head and blinked.

"Marth..." Tiki softly started. She suddenly embraced the bluenette. This time, it was was not as tight as the first embrace. "It's really you..."

With a small, warm smile, Marth embraced the manakete back.

* * *

Mounted on their pegasi, the travelers flew back to Hyrule. Unlike Roy and Pit, who felt accomplished and glad that their adventure was coming to an ending, their older friends Ike, Marth, and Link were a bit quiet and solemn.

Ike and Marth were a bit dazed and stunned. They could not believe that they were connected to Hyrule's past! So, that was why they were feeling dizzy and faint and a golden light emitted from their hands!

However, they also felt different, conflicting emotions. While Marth was willing to accept the truth, Ike was still in denial. He and Marth couldn't have fought against each other in another life! Ike couldn't imagine it! If he and Marth were fated to be enemies in a past life, why were they friends in this life?

Ike looked ahead and watched the sun slowly drift across the sky, towards the hills in the distance. His surrounds began to change its hues as the light slowly began to die out. He then looked at his friends. He smiled slightly at Roy and Pit, who were talking loudly. The two were lucky; they still had their innocence. However, his grin fell when he looked at Marth and Link. Marth, who was flying in front of him, was looking directly ahead him. He refused to talk to anyone. Link, who was flying next to Ike, looked down with a sad look.

"Hey Link, are you ok?" Ike asked the upset Hylian.

"I'm fine." Link forced a tiny smile before it fell. "It's just that, I'm somewhat upset."

"Is it the story of the past?" Ike questioned.

"No." Link began to explain. "It's the fact that you, Marth, and the others have to return to Hollow, your birthplace. To be honest, I've never had friends like all of you. Pit and Toon were technically the only friends I had during childhood."

"What about Lucina and Owain?" Ike asked again. "Aren't they your friends?"

"Lucina and Owain..." Link sighed. "They and their parents were a bit mysterious. They suddenly arrived at Hyrule one day. I assume they came from another world."

"Maybe Hollow?" Ike suggested.

Link shook his head. "I don't know. I never asked them. Ike, when you and your friends leave, I'll miss you dearly."

Ike nodded slowly. "Me too. To be honest, I don't want to go back to Hollow. I like it here better."

"Why?" Link asked.

"It's because, this world feels more like home." Ike explained. "It's where we originated from. I don't like Hollow. There's something I don't like about it... Maybe it's not as lively as Hyrule, the Surface?"

"Yes." Link agreed.

Unbeknownst to Ike and Link, Marth was listening to their conversation. A heart-retching feeling began to swell in his heart. Like Ike, he also wanted to stay in Hyrule. However, due to being the incarnation of Prince Marth's soul, he was in danger of being captured by the Risen. In order to prevent the destruction of this world, he needed to return to Hollow with his friends.

Yet, his friends dearly wanted to stay in Hyrule with Link, who did not want his new-found friends to leave. Marth was conflicted by his emotions. Should he riskily stay in Hyrule for the satisfaction of his friends, or leave for the sake of the future?

* * *

**Author's Notes: Mar-Mar...  
**

**Finally, here's the 9th chapter. Personally, I think that this story is a little more than halfway done. Oh yeah, I also got a review telling me that Ganondorf has the Triforce of Power, not Ike and Marth. I don't mean to sound rude, but this is an AU fanfic. You can play around with canon facts and whatnot. **

**Just a question to ask you guys: Do you think I start on another fanfic? I think it's interesting, since I've trying to finish this story as soon as possible so I can start on another. I'm still considering this.**

**Story Questions:**

**Where do you think Chrom and his family originated from?**

**Do you think Marth is going to stay in Hyrule or return to Hollow?**


	10. Chapter 10: The Prince's Knights

Marth uneasily paced around his room. His jagged shadow on the walls imitated his movements. A small, lit candle, the only source of light, was a waving orange flower.

Upon returning to Castle Town, Ike grudgingly told Link that he and his friends will leave to Hollow tomorrow morning. As he heard his best friend say that sentence, Marth could sense the remorse in his voice. Like his friends, Marth did not want to leave. He wanted to stay in Hyrule, and enjoy the bright sunlight, dreamy landscapes, and the free, blue sky, the qualities Hollow did not have.

But, if he stayed in Hyrule, he would risk getting kidnapped by the Risen. This would contribute to the end of many lives, as the Risen would use him to revive their leader Medeus!

Marth sighed loudly, flopped onto his bed, and looked up at the blank ceiling. However, his friends could protect him! He also knew how to defend himself! Besides, as long as he stayed behind the protective castle walls, the Risen would have a frustrating, hard time to capture him!

But, that might place a burden on his friends and the residents of Hyrule... Marth looked at the nightstand, where the mysterious thick-covered book was sitting. He got up and opened the book, turning to the page with Prince Marth.

What would Prince Marth— or his past life's self do? Marth sat back down on his bed and thought. Princes were meant to succeed their father's roles when the time was right. Although they had loyal allies, they could not be selfish. Their role was to protect the people!

Looking at the illustration of Prince Marth one more time, Marth closed the book and set it onto his bed. He rose as he finally made his final decision.

He decided to leave, as he felt that Prince Marth would do that to protect his people, even though it would leave them helpless without a ruler. That was what princes were supposed to do, sacrifice their needs to protect their beloved kingdom.

Before departing, Marth dressed in a black, shadowy cloak in hopes to blend in his dark surroundings. After packing his things in his backpack, Marth quickly wrote a short note to Ike and set it on his nightstand, next to the candle. Sure that he was ready for his trip, he put on his backpack and silently left his room.

Marth's cloak blended in with the hallway's dark shadows. As sneaky as a fox, the bluenette slipped on his hood and quietly yet quickly strolled down the hallways. Although he assumed that everyone was asleep, his senses told him to slow down and make sure no one was watching. However, Marth ignored his feelings, as he thought they were trying to convince him to stay.

_Yet, his senses were right. A certain redhead silently watched Marth flee from the castle._

* * *

Meanwhile, Ike was quietly lying in his bed trying to fall asleep. Yet, his rowdy, loud thoughts refused to let him drift to sleep. They tried to convince Ike to stay! Deep in his heart however, Ike denied them. He and his friends needed to leave! They were supposed to leave after returning Link to Castle Town! In efforts to soothe himself to sleep, Ike rolled onto his right side and watched the little flame on the candle wave eerily.

Just as when Ike was about to finally wall asleep, a soft yet sudden knock jolted his senses awake. With a grumble, he shouted, "Yes?"

Link quietly entered Ike's room.

"Sorry to wake you up." he said.

"It's ok, Link." Ike sat up in his bed. "What do you need?"

"Princess Zelda wants to perform a ritual with you and Marth." Link explained. "Before you and your friends leave, she wants to try to extract the pieces of the Triforce of Power from both of you."

"Now?" Ike asked.

"Yes." Link said, leaving Ike's room. "Tell Marth and meet us in the throne room."

As soon as when Link left, Ike quickly dressed in his casual clothing and left. His footsteps echoing down the dark hallway, he approached Marth's room. Although there was a silent, calm atmosphere surrounding the hallway, Ike felt that something was wrong. Hesitating for a few moments, Ike shakily reached for the door handle and turned it.

"Hey Marth, sorry for waking you." Ike spoke out loud as he entered Marth's room. "Princess Zelda really needs to— Marth?"

Marth was nowhere to be seen. At first, Ike thought that Marth temporarily left his room to use the bathroom. However, that innocent thought diminished when he noticed a small written note sitting on the nightstand. The last time Ike checked, the note was not there. Maybe he...? Feeling fear slowly filling his heart, Ike took the note and read it carefully. The note read:

_Ike, I'm sorry. If you're reading this now, I'm in Hollow. I understand that you and the others really want to stay in the Surface. Because I'm the incarnation of Prince Marth's spirit, I need to leave, or I'll risk getting kidnapped by the Risen. _

_I know that you guys are required to leave with me, but please stay in Hyrule and live happily with Link and his family! I know that you guys are much happier living here, not in Hollow! Don't worry about me! I'll just live out my days in Hollow! I'll take care of myself!_

_Marth _

Ike's fearful suspicions came true. Tightly squeezing the note, he continuously reread the writing, hoping that he was just seeing things. Sadly, the words were set in stone. Marth departed to Hollow moments ago.

"Why...?" Ike could only say, in total shock. He felt horrible. Just because Marth was the reincarnation of a prince did not mean he needed to live away from Hyrule! He didn't deserve to live without his friends!

_"I need to alert the others!" _Ike thought to himself. He quickly exited Marth's room and hurried to the throne room.

Link and Zelda, who were waiting for Ike and Marth, quickly turned at the sound of the doors suddenly slamming open. Ike hastily entered the room, his face white with panic. Clutched in his hands was Marth's note.

"Ike, what's wrong?" Zelda asked worriedly. "Where's Marth?"

"Marth fled from Hyrule!" Ike answered, trying to calm down.

"He did?" Zelda replied. "Why?"

Ike showed Zelda and Link the note. "Because he is in danger of being kidnapped by Medeus's followers, he left without us. He knew that the rest of our friends and I don't want to return to Hollow. Marth just wanted us to be... H-Happy without him..."

"Without him, we can't perform the ritual and unite the Triforce..." Zelda sighed. "However, that does not matter now! Since Marth left on his own, he is in danger! The Risen can easily capture him!"

"Do you want us to find him and bring him back?" Link asked.

"Yes." Zelda answered. "Mount your pegasus and fly directly to the entrance of Hollow. If you find him, bring him back as soon as possible!"

"Yes, we understand." Ike replied.

"Ike, let's bring the others so we can find Marth quicker, ok?" Link suggested.

"Great idea!" Ike smiled at the Hylian. "Let's get the others!"

* * *

Strolling down the dark, frightening forest, Marth carefully looked around for any signs of Risen. The Noctowls' bellowing hoots echoed into the never-ending darkness, sending a shiver down the bluenette's spine. The surrounding trees' jagged branches seemed to be reaching for Marth, ready to grab ahold of him. There were no glowing Illimises and Volbeats and singing Kricketunes, making Marth feel awfully lonely.

The abrupt, hoarse screech of a Murkcrow caused Marth to jump and cautiously look around. He shakily pulled his sword out of his sheath and peered at the shadows, monsters that took the appearance of shades of gray. His cerulean eyes widened as he tried to stand the torturous pressure.

"W-Who's there?!" Marth asked out loud, trying to stay brave.

Marth's question was answered by the sound of something crawling on the trees' branches. Sensing something dangerous, Marth looked around for one last time and hurried away. His running feet loudly thumping the ground, Marth looked behind him for any danger. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest as the air whizzed in Marth's azure hair.

Finally, Marth's legs gave out of him, causing him to collapse onto the forest floor and gasp loudly for air. His chest feeling tight and his mouth feeling as dry as a dessert, Marth dizzily looked around the forest. All he could see were shapes, silhouettes, and tones of gray.

Marth sat against a tree and shut his eyes in exhaustion. A sudden ray of gold light caused him to snap his eyes open.

Marth watched the Triforce of Power shine on the back of his left hand. As he gazed at it, his tears of frustration blurred his vision, depicting the jagged, gold triangle as a blur of gold before its light finally died out.

Unable to hold in his tears, Marth finally let his water flow out of his cup. He began to weep quietly to himself, feeling ashamed that he, the reincarnation of a great prince, was crying. Princes did not cry! They withstood their pain and agony for their people with a hopeful smile!

_"Out of all the people who could've been the incarnation of Prince Marth's spirit, why did it have to be me?" _Marth asked himself, blinking his tears away. _"I just wanted to live normally with my friends!" _

A rustle from a bush snapped Marth out of his thoughts. Wiping his tears, Marth quickly took out his sword and readied himself for battle. What was it? Probably a group of Risen! If that was so... Marth immediately gotta his feet and prepared to flee.

"A-Ah!" a voice exclaimed from the bushes. "Stupid thorns..."

"What the—" Marth started. "Is that...?"

Marth's question was answered by Roy clumsily tumbling through the bushes. The redhead ungracefully fell onto the ground with a thud.

"Roy!" Marth exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

"I was looking for you!" Roy said as he got up.

"You saw me escape from the castle?" Marth asked.

"Yeah!" Roy answered. He went up to Marth and sternly looked at him. "Marth, why did you run away?"

"I can't stay here." Marth explained, walking away from Roy. He turned his back against him. "I need to go back to Hollow, or the Risen will capture me and use me to revive their leader Medeus!"

"Wait, Medeus?" Roy asked in confusion. "Who is that?"

Marth told Roy about the history of the Surface, from the Demons' and Earth Dragons' defeat by the heroes, Prince Marth's and Prince Ike's war against each other, and their relation to him and Ike. Upon finishing, Roy did not seem to be shocked. However, he was a little bewildered.

"That's why I need to leave." Marth concluded solemnly. "If I stay in Hollow, you, Ike, and the others can enjoy living on the Surface without any worries."

"Marth..." Roy softly began. His eyes narrowed into a serious glare. "You know what, Marth? I'm coming with you!"

"Eh, why?!" Marth completely did not expect Roy to say that. "Don't you like it here?"

"Yeah I do, but I don't want you to be alone for the rest of your life!" Roy replied.

Marth was speechless.

"When we arrive back home, you can live with me and Dad!" Roy continued. "That way, you won't be lonely!"

"Roy, you don't need to come." Marth replied. "I'll be fine knowing that everyone else is better off without me!"

"I'm still coming!" Roy protested.

"Why?" Marth asked.

"Because, I'm your friend." Roy concluded with a hopeful smile. "That's what friends do."

Marth was a bit stunned by Roy's answer. "Well..." he started. He smiled back at the younger male. "Let's go, Roy."

Roy quickly trailed Marth and the two were about to head deeper into the forest when the sound of wings flapping caught their attention. The two male's quickly froze.

"Who's there?!" Roy whispered to Marth.

"I'm not sure..." Marth softly replied.

"Marth! Roy!" Ike exclaimed as he landed his pegasus.

"Ike?!" Marth shouted in surprise as he and Roy went towards Ike. "Were you looking for us?"

"Yes." Ike set both of his hands on Marth's shoulder, which tensed up. "I'm taking you two back."

"No, Ike." Marth calmly disagreed, gently shoving Ike away. "I need to return to Hollow for the safety of Hyrule. Roy wants to come with me."

"Marth, don't." Ike protested, his voice rising.

"Look, you heard what Tiki told us!" Marth argued. "If I stay here, the Risen will try to kidnap me and use me to revive Medeus! I'm doing this for the sake of the future!"

Marth clutched his fists. Roy and Ike could only watch.

"I'm just trying to be Prince Marth, or you can say my past self." Marth continued. "I'm leaving to protect the things I love."

"Hey, princes don't run away from danger!" Ike retorted calmly. "They don't flee from their kingdoms and leave them without a leader! Marth, do you want to neglect your friends?"

"I don't want to burden you guys." Marth responded.

"Friends are supposed to stick up for each other!" Ike explained. "Technically, that makes the others and me your knights! We fight for each other until the end!"

Marth could not argue against that statement.

"Marth, please return to Hyrule!" Ike continued. "If anything happens, we will always be there to defend you!"

"Ike..." Marth spoke quietly. He looked at Roy.

"Hey, even though I can't really fight, I'll do my best to protect you!" Roy said. His vow did not sound like a lie.

"Roy..." Marth looked at Ike and suddenly embraced him. Ike returned the embrace. "Ike, I'm coming back."

Roy hugged the two older males. For that moment everything was peaceful...

"Well, what a heartwarming scene." a dark, sneering voice suddenly spoke.

Clutching each other protectively, the three teens looked at the source of the voice. They spotted Wolf and his men surrounding them.

"N...No..." Ike could only say in fright.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Ike fights for his friends...?  
**

**Well, I'm glad that I could upload this chapter! had a problem with uploading files a few hours ago, but it seems ok now! **

**Just a quick note that there might be slower updates. I have a few tests coming up in school and I would like to take more time studying than writing. **

**Also, I just uploaded a new fanfic. It's called the Price of Respect, so please check it out if it seems interesting!**

**Story Questions:**

**If you were Marth, would you stay one the Surface, or return to Hollow?**

**What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter?**


End file.
